SIR - I feel compelled to write following the letter from Dr Malcolm Nixon about the fate of the Grainger porcelain factory buildings in the St Martin's Gate plans. It is proposed to retain the main arched entry and the part of the last remaining bottle kiln in Worcester, though what it would look like, with the building into which it is built removed, is hard to imagine.

There are a number of the Grainger buildings, which are still in very good condition and should be kept and adapted for business or dwelling purposes. These include the whole of the block containing the bottle kiln, which were the working rooms from where the kiln was filled and drawn, and the two-storied building opposite which was the decorating department.

Graingers is now recognised as one of the most important of our 19th Century porcelain factories. It will be a dreadful shame if these fine usable and historic buildings are destroyed. They form an interesting group, leading the eye to the equally important Hill Evans vinegar works building. It will be sad if the last reminders of an important part of Worcester's history are in the pages of Grainger Worcester Porcelain, the book co-authored by son John and me, or the fine pieces of porcelain in the Museum of Worcester Porcelain.

HENRY SANDON,

Worcester.