I’m very sad to hear news of the death of Alec Cobbe, quite a remarkable figure: a man of taste; trained as a conservator at the Tate; then worked at Birmingham and the Hamilton Kerr; took over Hatchlands as a tenant of the National Trust to show his collection of musical instruments.

I went to Hatchlands in September to see his Titian exhibition.  No photographs.

But most impressive is his rehang at Castle Howard, including the display of casts in the visitors’ entrance in the West Wing:-

Reading Rowan Moore’s review of the renovated Theatr Clwyd in last Sunday’s Observer encouraged us to call in for what was meant to be a late lunch, but was more like tea.  It’s an impressive, very civic theatre, but in a park on the edge of Mold overlooking the Clwydian Hills.

It’s been renovated by Haworth Tompkins who are good at retaining the character of existing buildings/institutions, but making them more upbeat, as they have at the London Library and Warburg Institute.

The restaurant which is huge was booked out…

Theatr Clwyd – Architecture Today https://architecturetoday.co.uk/theatr-clwyd-haworth-tompkins/