Edinburgh campaigner David Black’s historic Adam-style fireplaces set to light up auction
Deceased Edinburgh conservationist, urban campaigner and journalist’s heritage collection set for auction
Edinburgh campaigner David Black’s historic Adam-style fireplaces are set to light up an auction in England later this year.
A magnificent collection of 11 rare Adam-style chimney pieces owned by David Black, one of the most important conservation campaigners in Edinburgh’s modern history, goes up for auction at Hawleys Auctioneers in east Yorkshire on November 14 and 15, along with a further three historic chimney pieces.
Black who died aged 78 earlier this year, was an architectural historian renowned as a fearless urban campaigner. He was dedicated to the preservation of Edinburgh’s heritage and character and saved a large part of it from demolition.
It was a passion that sparked both his interest in restoring original fittings of old and historic houses and his enthusiasm for ‘Adam’ chimney pieces made by 18th century master craftsman Richard Foster of Edinburgh. Black believed that many of the chimney pieces in his Georgian collection were made by Richard Foster.
Caroline Hawley said: “They are magnificent and I feel proud and privileged to be able to put them into auction on behalf of David’s family. The chimney pieces are highly collectable.
“David Black was an advocate of Foster’s work and he was determined to cement his place in history, not only as a superb craftsman but also as significant player in the ‘Adam Revolution’.”
That ‘revolution’ saw Scottish architect brothers Robert and James Adam transform British architecture and interior design in the latter half of the 18th century. Known for their work in the country houses of the wealthy aristocracy, they pioneered the manufacture of high-quality ornamental timber and composition fireplaces.
Black called Foster & Son chimney piece makers “the forgotten foot soldiers” of the Adams’ revolution: “Foster’s timber and composition and Adam’s mantelpieces – arguably the best ever made - suited the mood of a country at ease with middle class cultural aspirations and aesthetic awareness,” he wrote. “Richard Foster was the right man, in the right place, at the right time.”
David Black became an authority on Foster’s work and the stories behind the detailed chimney piece carvings. In 1990 he co-founded a company called Thistle & Rose in Hawick which is dedicated to the reproduction and restoration of Adam fireplaces.
Among the collection for auction is a wooden chimney piece ’The Lady with Anchor’ described by Black as “one of the finest surviving examples of a Foster classic”. The design is based on the legend of Dido and Aneas, but linked to the story of Nelson and Lady Hamilton who is shown lamenting his departure to the final battle at Cape Trafalgar.
Black wrote: “There was much public sympathy for Lady Hamilton after Nelson’s death, and some disapproval of her ill-treatment at the hands of an unforgiving establishment, which may explain why this was one of Foster’s best sellers.”
Throughout his life Black fought council planners and property developers in legendary campaigns to protect some of Edinburgh’s finest buildings against commercial development.
He was highly respected for his dedication to conservation, for his work as a historian, journalist and author, and for his humanity, scholarship and humour.
More than 200 people attended his memorial service in the Queen’s Hall at the heart of Edinburgh’s Southside, an area where Black was co-founder and chairman of the Southside Association.