Our Story

Since our foundation in 1962 the Burton upon Trent Civic Society (BCS) has been actively lobbying for policies that ensure excellence in the standard of design and development of our town.  It has played an active part in celebrating the historic heritage of our town and helping to shape its future.

 

BCS formed as the inspiration of the late Olga Lloyd who had read about the newly formed national movement of civic societies launched by the late Hon Duncan Sandys to enable the ordinary citizen to have a say both in the preservation of the best of the past and in the development of the future.  To pursue her goal of establishing a vibrant civic society in her adopted home town of Burton upon Trent she secured the assistance of the late Vincent Cook – then a very young and keen architect in the town. He became our second Chair, and held that position for a period of 10 years. There has been 14 Chairs in the Society's 60 years.

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In order to encourage good architecture and standards, in 1971 BCS inaugurated what has become an annual award for the best new building or restoration completed each year; the first award went to lnd Coope for their computer centre.  Awards have been made in nearly every year since then, and the scheme extended in 1980 to refurbished buildings and in 1991 to environmental projects.

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We monitor all major planning applications, particularly any affecting listed buildings or buildings in conservation areas or of prominence in the town centre. Discussions have taken place with the Council on all major schemes including the development of Bargates. 

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A civic society has no statutory powers and has to rely on persuasion and the support of its members. A key factor with any successful Society is its relationship with the local council. Both are trying to achieve the same ends for the betterment of the town but the means to these ends are not always agreed. We are an apolitical organisation, a civic society is not an elected body in the same way as a council, but it can represent a substantial membership and it can claim both local and specialised knowledge over the field in which it operates.

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We want to continue to increase the involvement of local communities in seeking imaginative and creative solutions to problems – from protecting all that is best in the heritage of our town to street design and making the most of our green spaces.

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We believe it is vital that local people have a voice that is heard if we are to make our town an attractive and interesting place in which to live, work or visit – a place of which we can be proud.  By promoting awareness of the history, character and amenities of the town, we aim to preserve what is best from the past and to encourage high standards in future development.

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Possibly the Society's best known contribution to the town centre is the Burton Cooper statue. In 1976 an approach was made by the Society to Messrs Laings, the owners of the central area shopping precinct, to see if they would provide a piece of sculpture for display in the centre. Their response was immediate and enthusiastic, their only condition being that it should be a work of suitable merit by a nationally known sculptor such as James Butler, R A., and that the Society should raise half the cost. This was agreed and the concept of the cooper was developed with advice from local practising coopers. The Society approached the four local brewers who responded generously, donating the bulk of the money needed, the balance coming from Society members in response to a single appeal letter. In May 1977 the statue was unveiled by Robert McNeill', chairman of the Brewers' Society, to the accompaniment of a brass band, with hundreds of local residents filling the town centre. The Cooper has since been adopted as the town's symbol; it is represented on miniatures and on tankards and plates; it appears in dub insignia; it was on the front of the 1986 Burton telephone directory; it is on post-cards sent to all parts of the country and it has been acclaimed by coopers' societies across the world. A bronze replica stands in the entrance to the Brewers' Society building in Portman Square, London.

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