Remembering Tony Burns, ARIBA FRSA 1936-2011

Tony Burns was the Arts Centre’s architect for 20 years, and one of its most devoted supporters. He came on board when the project was still no more than a loose collection of ideas about what to do with the semi-derelict Old Meeting House, and his patience in drawing and re-drawing endless versions of what we might build was remarkable — but he loved the design process itself just as much as he loved eventually seeing the building come to life. He even forgave us when opted to keep the stage at the west end, rather than turning the building round and putting the stage where the garden is, which was his preference. His patience in waiting for years before we were able to pay him was also exemplary, and a hugely valuable contribution in kind.

Tony was a modernist at heart — as a student he once hitchhiked to Finland to meet one of his architectural heroes, Alvar Aalto. But like most British architects he was rarely given the opportunity to design anything that approached the avant-garde. So it is good that the Arts Centre shows off some characteristically bold Burns design touches — the roof shape at the east end, the round window from the office to the foyer, the strongly contemporary west frontage. He was very proud of the Arts Centre, both as a building and as a living institution, and I personally felt privileged to have worked closely with a professional who was so tolerant and encouraging of an opinionated amateur architect like me. I miss the Sunday afternoons when he would call in, en route home to Castle Eden in County Durham from his (very contemporary) weekend hideaway in Sproxton, for a session of scribbling on tracing paper to see how we could improve on the latest plans.

Tony had been unwell for some years but was working almost to the end, and had recently received a Gold Medal from the RIBA and been appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. The Arts Centre was well represented at his funeral in Castle Eden on 27 May. All our condolences go to his widow Maureen and their children and grandchildren.

MVW

Website helps companies recycle unwanted sets

Theatre companies can now advertise and recycle old sets and costumes on a new Freecycle-style website specifically designed for the sector.

With the tag line “giving your unwanted set a new home”, Set-exchange.co.uk has been launched with the aim of encouraging production companies to share unwanted sets, costumes and props with other theatre organisations across the UK for free. Companies including the Royal Court, Glyndebourne and the Lyric Hammersmith have already pledged their support to the website.

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Free theatre comes to Yorkshire Quaker Meeting Houses

All shows start at 7.30pm.

Andrew Lloyd Webber announces £32m arts fund

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s charitable foundation is to embark on a £32 million grant-giving programme targetted at supporting the arts.

The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation has announced that it will use the money generated from last year’s sale of the composer’s Picasso portrait - Angel Fernandez de Soto - to help fund culture, heritage and the art.

The foundation today announced a £250,000 donation to UK charity Nordoff Robbins, which specialises in providing music therapy sessions to people suffering from autism, dementia, depression, stroke or terminal illness. It will use the money to help maintain its music therapy unit at the BRIT school in Croydon and to fund their work at the unit.

Mark Wordsworth, chairman of the trustees of The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, said: “Previously we have concentrated on fine art and arts education, but we have decided to help a broader scope of people and projects directly with the funds invested from the Picasso sale. Andrew Lloyd Webber is delighted that the money he gifted to the foundation is now being used to contribute to a wide range of projects and is making a significant difference to many people’s lives.”

Other beneficiaries of the Foundation’s support announced today include Chickenshed, All Saints Church, Margaret St, London, Burghclere Primary School Band, Time Spanners, the Monega Association, Haringey Shed and The Orpheus Centre.