Dorian Gerhold

The Government is determined to conceal the ever-rising cost of the Holocaust Memorial, currently £138.8m plus contingency. The document which revealed the contingency to be £51.8m has now been amended on the web to leave out that figure. #VictoriaTowerGardens

The Times rewrote the letter attached. Originally it said: "At the same time it is pressing ahead with a £190 million plan for a Holocaust memorial and learning centre, which in its present form is a vanity project that has been opposed in Parliament by Holocaust survivors."

2 of the things that stand out from Sunak's speech cancelling #HS2: the sheer dishonesty of promising numerous transport schemes which have no committed funding, and the contempt for Parliament shown by making such a major announcement at a party conference.

A lesson from the Beeching cuts was the folly of closing off future options by building on railway land that might be needed again. Sunak's selling off of land bought for the #HS2 Birmingham-Manchester scheme to prevent the scheme ever being revived shows he has learnt nothing.

@UKHMF In reality the Government fought hard to prevent the Bill being declared hybrid, in order to avoid proper parliamentary scrutiny. It is afraid of having to defend publicly its ill-considered decision to build the Memorial and Learning Centre in a public park.

The Holocaust Memorial Bill has passed an important milestone, bringing the construction of a National Holocaust Memorial a step closer. The Bill is confirmed as hybrid, which resolves uncertainty and brings closer the opportunity for MPs to express their support for the Memorial

@SaveVTG @thisischerilyn It's even worse than that. The UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation first considered using VTG on 13 Jan 2016, recommended it to the Government on the same day, and Cameron announced it as the choice on 27 Jan 2016. There was no investigation at all!

@thisischerilyn tells a constituent that ‘The Foundation subsequently suggested Victoria Tower Gardens as a potential location and *following investigations into the feasibility of the site*, recommended it to Government in January 2016 as the best choice of site.’

MPs including @DamianGreen @JHowellmp & @KemiBadenoch assure their constituents that ‘@UKHMF conducted a very extensive comparison of almost 50 possible sites before recommending VTG as the site for the new memorial.’ Can they provide the elusive list of these sites?

@stoughton_p Thank you; I enjoyed your blog. Especially interested in the 1911 drawing. I'm a great admirer of your photos of VTG.

Politicians' incompetence and stubbornness have turned the well-intentioned Holocaust memorial project into a fiasco. The 1900 Act exists precisely to protect Victoria Tower Gardens from the sort of ill-considered building project now proposed, and should not be repealed.

@Peston @ITV Giving party members the opportunity to foist another extremist on us as PM is the fundamental problem, not bad actors. Why would any responsible party continue such a dangerous and undemocratic system?

As I said just now on @itv, deep concern that rapid electronic voting by Tory members for new leader brings risk of overseas bad actor, like Russia, hacking the poll and choosing Britain’s new prime minister

Govt is wasting yet more public money appealing against the very clear judgment that the proposed Holocaust Memorial is illegal under the 1900 Act protecting Victoria Tower Gardens. Meanwhile it's done nothing about its 2015 promise of an endowment fund for Holocaust education.

@heald_j @SOCSheila @oldlondonnow @britishmuseum @LondonTopSoc @SocAntiquaries The publisher wanted something different from the original.

@SOCSheila @oldlondonnow @britishmuseum @LondonTopSoc @SocAntiquaries But who on earth preferred the early-period CGI for the 2nd ed cover twitter.com/DorianGerhold/… over that gorgeous cutaway painting of the late-period bridge used on the 1st ed ? Even if it is the earliest period where the newest 'new history' may be

The ‘Bridge Foot’ #Southwark 1810. The southern approach to #London Bridge and the City of London ( Old And New London Vol VI 1883 Edward Walford)

SAVE STATEMENT: Parliament’s Restoration & Renewal Sponsor Body to be wound up: mailchi.mp/savebritainshe…

@maggih Only minor differences (other than the layout, as it's been reset in a slightly smaller size). A few small changes to the text and three extra images.

@DorianGerhold hello, can i ask what the difference is between this edition and the earlier one? I got the one published by London Topographical Society.

New edition of London Bridge and its Houses, c.1209-1761 out on 15 August. Only 9 days left to get it pre-publication for £23.99 instead of £29.99. #OldLondonBridge #Londonhistory. oxbowbooks.com/oxbow/london-b…

@NatParkCityFdn @LondonNPC @LDN_environment @londoncouncils @LdnNPC_Schools @LondonLEEF @SalzburgGlobal @WUParks @standardnews @ParksforLondon @LI_London_ Thanks. I support your objectives. But what is the point of the designation if you can build on open spaces unnecessarily and still qualify for it? As for the Mayor, he could have stood up for ordinary Londoners and defended Victoria Tower Gardens against the Government.

@DorianGerhold @LondonNPC @LDN_environment @londoncouncils @LdnNPC_Schools @LondonLEEF @SalzburgGlobal @WUParks @standardnews @ParksforLondon @LI_London_ Thanks. Your argument is more with central and local government than with us. We want more and better quality green and open space for all to enjoy. The London Mayor has been supportive, and that has been great. But even the Mayor has to come govt planning policy and directives.

We are two! 2 years ago today #London became the first #NationalParkCity. We’re aiming for 25 National Park Cities by 2025: nationalparkcity.org/journey What if more #cities were National Park Cities? #NationalParkCityWeek #Greener #Healthier #Wilder nationalparkcity.org/events

@NatParkCityFdn @LondonNPC @LDN_environment @londoncouncils @LdnNPC_Schools @LondonLEEF @SalzburgGlobal @WUParks @standardnews @ParksforLondon @LI_London_ The first priority of being a national park city must be that open spaces remain open; otherwise nothing is possible. Listing as a supporter the Mayor, who supports building on open spaces, discredits what would be a valuable initiative. Happy to discuss - dgerhold@hotmail.co.uk

@DorianGerhold @LondonNPC @LDN_environment @londoncouncils @LdnNPC_Schools @LondonLEEF @SalzburgGlobal @WUParks @standardnews @ParksforLondon @LI_London_ Hi there @DorianGerhold, It is easy to misunderstand what being a #NationalParkCity means. It does NOT mean an end to anything / anything anyone wants to prevent. It IS about people in cities everywhere seeing what is possible. If YOU wish to discuss DO make contact. Thanks.

Cover of the new edition of London Bridge and its Houses, c.1209-1761, showing a reconstruction of the bridge in about 1250. Out on 15 Aug. #OldLondonBridge. #LondonHistory.

On 15 July Dr Philip Salmon from our @TheVictCommons project will be joining @ktrcarpenter & Dr Dorian Gerhold to discuss the coronation banquet of George IV, which took place in Westminster Hall in 1821. @UKParlArchives Sign up to this online event here: ow.ly/vF0Y50FeLzF

@NickHowes13 Sounds (and looks) fascinating. I'd be interested to hear more about your work creating a 3D model. Dorian (dgerhold@hotmail.co.uk)