INSTITUTE OF HISTORIC BUILDING CONSERVATION YEARBOOK
ii NEW
1 Fine Conservation & Historic Building Consultancy www.hirst-conservation.com 01529 497449 surveys & consultancy ⚫ environmental monitoring ⚫ paint research analysis ⚫ fine art ⚫ wall paintings ⚫ painted & applied decoration stone ⚫ plaster ⚫ monuments ⚫ memorials ⚫ mosaics ⚫ timber enquiries@hirst-conservation.com @HConservation
2 We shape, sustain and manage change in the historic environment, allowing people to use, benefit and enjoy their heritage. ENGINEERING THE FUTURE, PRESERVING THE PAST atkinsrealis.com Contact: Richard Stocking, UK Head of Conservation & Heritage (Project & Programme Services) richard.stocking@atkinsrealis.com | 02071213014 AtkinsRéalis is a world-leading design, engineering and project management organization. With a global team of experts including archaeologists, heritage managers & built heritage experts, AtkinsRéalis has a reputation as a major innovator in the heritage sector developing new and imaginative approaches to help manage and effect change in the historic environment.
3 CONTENTS THE INSTITUTE OF HISTORIC BUILDING CONSERVATION www.ihbc.org.uk Registered as a charity in England and Wales, number 1061593, in Scotland number SC041945 and listed in Northern Ireland Company Limited by Guarantee Registered in England number 3333780 REGISTERED AND BUSINESS OFFICE Jubilee House, High Street, Tisbury, Wiltshire SP3 6HA Tel 01747 873133 Email admin@ihbc.org.uk The institute cannot accept responsibility for the acts or omissions of any member, associate, affiliate or HESPR company and accordingly the institute shall not be liable for any loss or damage or other matter arising from the employment or engagement of any member. IHBC YEARBOOK We gratefully acknowledge the support of firms whose advertisements appear throughout this publication. While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this yearbook is current and correct, neither the IHBC nor the publisher can be held responsible for any errors or omissions which may occur. All rights reserved. The title of the IHBC Yearbook is and shall remain the absolute property of the institute. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recordings, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the institute. This 2024 edition has been prepared for the Communications & Outreach Committee by the IHBC National Office with the help of Cathedral Communications Limited. For additional copies of the IHBC Yearbook please contact the Business Office. EDITORS Jonathan Taylor and Seán O’Reilly PUBLICATIONS MANAGER Joanna Collie COVER ILLUSTRATION Front cover: The stills of Penderyn at the former Hafod-Morfa Copperworks, Swansea (Photo: Jonathan Taylor) The IHBC Yearbook is published and produced by Cathedral Communications Limited, High Street, Tisbury, Wiltshire SP3 6HA Tel 01747 871717 Email ihbc@cathcomm.co.uk www.buildingconservation.com Copyright 2024 Cathedral Communications Limited ISBN 978 1 912747 19 1 Foreword Gerard Lemos 5 STRUCTURE AND MEMBERSHIP What is the IHBC? 6 Structure of the IHBC 7 Elected and appointed officers 8 Branch areas 9 Membership of the IHBC 10 REVIEW AND ANALYSIS Welcome Mike Brown 15 Chair’s review David McDonald 16 Director’s update Seán O’Reilly 17 Caring for historic places Dave Chetwyn 21 Heritage conservation and the triple bottom line Donovan Rypkema 22 Climate action in the built environment: comfort is a crucial missing piece of the puzzle Robyn Pender 27 Heritage development trusts’ top tips Gavin Richards 33 Shaping the future of heritage: embracing the evolution of economic thinking Adala Leeson 38 Historic digital survey: conservation in the age of the fourth (digital) industrial revolution Alan Forster and Frédéric Bosché 42 DIRECTORY HESPR companies 46 IHBC promotions and publications 48 USEFUL INFORMATION The conservation hour: CPD with IHBC West Midlands Rachael Parry 89 IHBC-recognised courses 91 National organisations 92 Local authority contacts 94 Products and services 98 Specialist suppliers index 104
4 Ibstock is a heritage institution with roots dating as far back as 1825, when the first coal mine was sunk in Ibstock Village to reveal an ocean of clay. Through acquisitions over the years and playing a part in the great industrial revolution, Ibstock offers a great range of clay products that still to this day utilise processes based in tradition, such as hand making and clamp firing bricks of many shapes and colours that achieve aesthetical designs of the past, present and future, making clay a timeless solution for building. As well as products, we offer great technical support CPDs for brickwork both traditional and avant-garde. T: 01530 261999 E: Enquiries@ibstock.co.uk W: www.ibstock.com Water Struck bricks Hand made bricks 300 year old site where we clamp fire bricks
5 FOREWORD AS THE Chair of English Heritage, it is a pleasure to write this foreword for this Institute of Historic Building Conservation Yearbook. The IHBC website bears the words Conservation, People, Places, and it’s these words that give me my theme: how Conservation can help People make new connections with Places. English Heritage now attracts more visitors and members than ever before. We have opened up more of our sites, intervened dramatically but sensitively in several of the most important sites, and shared more stories. I am proud to say that we are investing more money in the stewardship of this collection of remarkable sites than at any time in the past. I would like to thank everyone who has supported us, including members of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation – the distinctiveness of our collection, together with our world class aspirations, creates a variety of conservation challenges and in this regard, it is representative of the historic building stock of the whole country, for which members of the IHBC have long been at the vanguard of conservation. Crucially English Heritage is also placing the landmarks in our care at the heart of their local communities and engaging more people – most importantly the young – in their history and in their future. Clifford’s Tower in York is just one example of a site where conservation, people and place all combine to powerful effect. In April 2022, we reopened the tower, the last surviving element of the city’s royal castle, after a major conservation and re-presentation project. Exposed to the elements for more than 300 years, the tower’s historically fire damaged stonework has been painstakingly repaired, the chapel reroofed, and the carved heraldic plaques above the entrance conserved. Where previously the tower was an empty shell, we installed a gorgeous free-standing timber structure within it, protecting the ruin, allowing for more interpretation, and improving access by creating a new roof deck to provide magnificent views over York’s unique cityscape. We can now tell some of the stories from the tower’s dramatic and tragic history in new and fascinating ways. In March 1190 the Jewish community of York was forced by a persecuting mob to seek protection inside the royal castle. That protection failed to keep the Jews safe from their attackers; and when faced with inevitable capture and murder, many took the lives of their families before taking their own lives, leaving a few survivors, who were all massacred. The powerful resonances for today need hardly to be stated. Since the newly conserved tower re-opened, Jewish people and others in the city have come together there to mark both Hanukkah and the anniversary of the 1190 massacre. The tower is a powerful instance of how a historic place can be not only a repository of ancient memory: the recollection of the historic stories it embodies can guide our choices about what to do in the present day. English Heritage is very proud to be working with Yorkshire’s modern-day Jewish community in endeavours which we – and I think the rest of the heritage sector – share as the ultimate aim of conservation: to connect people to the past, even some of its worst aspects, and to build from that a shared future. Our purpose, in which we are not alone, is to go beyond looking after the nation’s collection of monuments and making sure that as many people as possible encounter them and find out more. We see better understanding and experience of our shared past – the buildings and the people – as an essential building block of national unity for the future. Like the stonemason carving a single stone which will eventually form a small but essential part of a glorious cathedral, we see our purpose at English Heritage as conservation, access and above all connection – to the past and to the future. Gerard Lemos CMG CBE Chair English Heritage
6 YEARBOOK 2024 WHAT IS THE IHBC? THE INSTITUTE of Historic Building Conservation is the principal body in the United Kingdom representing professionals and specialists involved in the conservation and preservation of the historic environment. Our members include conservation architects, architectural historians, conservation officers in central and local government, planners, surveyors and other specialist consultants, as well as academics and educators, curators, conservators and craftspeople. CHARITABLE PURPOSE As a registered charity, the IHBC’s purpose is to promote for the benefit of the public: the conservation and enhancement of the historic environment the highest standards of professional skills in this field the education and training of professionals and specialists responsible for such work. CORPORATE OBJECTIVES The IHBC’s operations are planned in accordance with the three objects listed in its current corporate plan (see website for details): helping people by promoting the conservation and management of historic places as a unique and evolving resource for people, both today and in the future helping conservation by supporting specialists, specialisms and specialist interests across all conservation-related activities, because effective conservation demands skilled care helping conservation specialists by supporting, encouraging and challenging IHBC members and prospective members, because conservation specialists work most effectively with coordination, advice, inspiration and scrutiny provided by an informed professional body. MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS Cutting edge news and debate: Weekly NewsBlogs, IHBC Conservation Wiki resource at DesigningBuildings.co.uk, IHBC’s journal Context, IHBC Yearbook, The Building Conservation Directory and other conservation publications from Cathedral Communications Professional development: Reduced rates and priority access (as applicable) to regular CPD courses and sector events, IHBC annual schools and branch events, job notices (IHBC Jobs etc), career advice and support, national and regional networking opportunities Technical support: Access to technical advice and guidance through national, regional and web-based advice and advisory panels Business support: Access to business support and listings including (for full members) membership of IHBC’s Historic Environment Service Providers Recognition (HESPR) scheme (see page 46), guidance on project development, participation and CPD opportunities in panels and groups, access to advocacy, and tax relief on subscriptions Participation and volunteering: Opportunities for shaping national and regional legislation and guidance through regular consultations, and involvement in all aspects of the work of the IHBC through regional branch activity and, at a national level, through our Council.
7 STRUCTURE AND MEMBERSHIP STRUCTURE OF THE IHBC COMMUNICATIONS & OUTREACH COMMITTEE DAVE CHETWYN Chair communications@ihbc.org.uk EDUCATION, TRAINING, STANDARDS COMMITTEE CHRIS WOOD Chair education@ihbc.org.uk MEMBERSHIP & ETHICS COMMITTEE ANDREW SHEPHERD Chair membership@ihbc.org.uk POLICY COMMITTEE ROY LEWIS Chair policy@ihbc.org.uk COUNCIL See ihbc.org.uk/aboutmain/council/ MIKE BROWN President president@ihbc.org REBECCA THOMPSON Vice President president@ihbc.org BOARD OF TRUSTEES See ihbc.org.uk/aboutmain/trustees/ MEMBERS TRUSTEES COUNCIL COMMITTEES AND BRANCHES PANELS, WORKING GROUPS, SUB-COMMITTEES etc ← ← ← REPORTING UPWARDS CONTROLS DOWNWARDS → → → EXECUTIVE OPERATIONS VOLUNTEERS NATIONAL OFFICE NATIONAL OFFICE SEÁN O’REILLY Director director@ihbc.org.uk FIONA NEWTON Operations Director operations@ihbc.org.uk LYDIA PORTER Admin & Company Secretary admin@ihbc.org.uk ANGHARAD HART Education, Training and Application Support Officer training@ihbc.org.uk CARMEN MORAN Membership Services Officer membershipservices@ihbc.org.uk MICHAEL NETTER Professional Services Officer services@ihbc.org.uk PANELS etc CONSULTATIONS PANEL FIONA NEWTON Convenor consultations@ihbc.org.uk GREEN PANEL CRISPIN EDWARDS Chair green@ihbc.org.uk LEGAL PANEL LONE LE VAY Chair law@ihbc.org.uk TECHNICAL PANEL JOHN EDWARDS Chair technical@ihbc.org.uk EDITORIAL BOARD MICHAEL TAYLOR Chair ihbceditorialboard@gmail.com
8 YEARBOOK 2024 ELECTED and APPOINTED OFFICERS The post-holders shown are correct at the time of printing but are subject to change. For the latest information please see ihbc.org.uk/page65/index.html MIKE BROWN, PRESIDENT is a chartered building surveyor with over 30 years experience of historic building repair and refurbishment. He is Director of Conservation & Design Ltd and currently heads the conservation service at East Herts District Council. A past IHBC Chair, he sits on a number of heritage bodies and is particularly active on the Historic Environment Protection Reform Group with Historic England. president@ihbc.org.uk REBECCA THOMPSON, VICE PRESIDENT is Senior Estate Manager at English Heritage and past President of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). She is an active committee member of both IHBC Yorkshire branch and the annual CIOB Conservation Conference, where she is a regular speaker and event chair. Rebecca has a keen interest in responsible retrofit of historic buildings, reducing our carbon footprint and supporting heritage craft skills. vpresident@ihbc.org.uk DAVID McDONALD, CHAIR is an independent historic environment consultant specialising in providing heritage training for other built environment professionals. He formerly led the Conservation and Design Team at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. He is the IHBC’s representative at The Heritage Alliance and a trustee of the Council on Training in Architectural Conservation (COTAC). chair@ihbc.org.uk LONE LE VAY, VICE CHAIR is a retired chartered architect who worked primarily in the public sector providing specialist conservation, design and urban design advice. She most recently managed the Design and Historic Environment team at Chichester District Council and is and is a Fellow of the RSA. vchair@ihbc.org.uk JO EVANS, SECRETARY is a director at RPS Consulting and has held a number of conservation posts in local authorities in Surrey and Hampshire. She was chair of the IHBC from 2010 to 2013. Prior to that she was the membership secretary and the chair of the Membership & Ethics Committee, following on from holding posts on branch and other national committees. ihbcsecretary@ihbc.org.uk JILL KERRY, TREASURER is a semi-retired chartered architect who has worked in the conservation sector for 25 years. She started her professional life in the public sector before moving to the private sector. She was the Northern Ireland branch representative until 2017. treasurer@ihbc.org.uk ANDREW SHEPHERD, MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY is the principal of Andrew Shepherd, Architect. A chartered architect and surveyor, his projects have included Grade I listed buildings and scheduled monuments. He has extensive teaching experience in the UK and abroad. His previous roles include president and education officer of the Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyors Association and convenor of the Conservation Course Directors’ Forum. membership@ihbc.org.uk ROY LEWIS, POLICY SECRETARY is a director of Grover Lewis Associates Ltd, a specialist town planning and built heritage consultancy. He has held planning and conservation posts in local government and he ran an undergraduate conservation programme at the University of Derby. For the IHBC he represented the East Midlands branch from 2006 to 2017, and he has represented the IHBC on the Urban Design Alliance. policy@ihbc.org.uk DAVE CHETWYN, COMMUNICATIONS and OUTREACH SECRETARY is managing director of Urban Vision Enterprise CIC and a partner of D₂H Land Planning Development. He is also chair of the National Planning Forum, a High Streets Task Force Expert, a Design Council Expert and an associate of the Consultation Institute. Previous roles include chair of the Historic Towns Forum, head of Planning Aid England and IHBC chair. communications@ihbc.org.uk CHRIS WOOD, EDUCATION SECRETARY was Head of the Building Conservation & Research Team at English Heritage. During his 26 years with EH and Historic England he led dozens of research projects prompted by casework priorities or other urgent issues and has written extensively on the findings. Now retired, he has worked in private practice architecture and was a conservation officer for over a decade. education@ihbc.org.uk
9 STRUCTURE AND MEMBERSHIP 0 50 100 km Crown copyright 2001 BRANCH AREAS • SCOTLAND (ALL ADMINISTRATIVE AREAS) • NORTHERN IRELAND (ALL COUNTIES) • NORTH (CLEVELAND, CUMBRIA, DURHAM, NORTHUMBERLAND AND TYNE AND WEAR) • NORTH WEST (CHESHIRE, GREATER MANCHESTER, ISLE OF MAN, LANCASHIRE AND MERSEYSIDE) • YORKSHIRE (ALL YORKSHIRE COUNTIES AND N AND NE LINCOLNSHIRE) • WALES (ALL ADMINISTRATIVE AREAS) • WEST MIDLANDS (HEREFORDSHIRE, WORCESTERSHIRE, SHROPSHIRE, STAFFORDSHIRE, WARWICKSHIRE AND WEST MIDLANDS) • EAST MIDLANDS (DERBYSHIRE, LEICESTERSHIRE, LINCOLNSHIRE, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE AND NOTTINGHAMSHIRE) • SOUTH WEST (CORNWALL, DEVON, DORSET, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, SCILLY ISLANDS, SOMERSET AND WILTSHIRE) • LONDON (GREATER LONDON) • SOUTH (BERKSHIRE, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, CHANNEL ISLANDS, HAMPSHIRE, ISLE OF WIGHT AND OXFORDSHIRE) • EAST ANGLIA (BEDFORDSHIRE, CAMBRIDGESHIRE, ESSEX, HERTFORDSHIRE, NORFOLK AND SUFFOLK) • SOUTH EAST (EAST SUSSEX, KENT, SURREY AND WEST SUSSEX)
10 YEARBOOK 2024 MEMBERSHIP OF THE IHBC THE INSTITUTE offers membership opportunities and linked benefits to all those who care for the built and historic environment. Our members are drawn from many disciplines, including architects, town planners, building surveyors, estate and asset managers, structural engineers, landscape architects, curators, buildings and project managers, archaeologists, architectural historians, local authority conservation officers, officers from national conservation organisations, academics and private practitioners. Membership of the institute is aimed at being inclusive rather than exclusive, though all assessed categories of membership require the observance of our code of conduct (see page 12) in line with our charitable objects. There are three categories of assessed membership: Full membership (accredited) represents conservation accreditation open to all active in the conservation of the built and historic environment. Full members have demonstrated to the IHBC their skills, knowledge and experience as interdisciplinary conservation specialists able to offer services and advice in line with national and international standards and models in conservation and its management. As such, full members are required to demonstrate skills and experience in line with and across the institute’s four areas of competence (see page 12), while significant skills in one or more areas may be seen to outweigh weaknesses in one of the other areas. Anybody who satisfies these requirements and has at least five years’ relevant experience would normally be considered eligible to apply for full membership. For those who have gained a qualification from a conservation course that has full recognition from the institute (see page 91), the period of relevant experience required is reduced from five years to two years. Associate membership (accredited) represents conservation accreditation awarded to practitioners who have demonstrated to the IHBC their capability in specialist skills, knowledge and experience in conservation in a single area of practice or ‘competence’ as recognised by the IHBC, typically one that corresponds to their primary skills or discipline. IHBC Annual School 2023 delegates visiting the Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl (Photo: Doane Photography)
11 STRUCTURE AND MEMBERSHIP Affiliate membership (assessed but not accredited) is available for those who have demonstrated an holistic ‘awareness’ of all aspects of conservation practice as described by the IHBC. They may later seek accreditation from the IHBC. RETIRED MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS For those who are less directly involved in conservation, including those with early career and late career interests, there are two further categories of membership that give access to the same core membership benefits, networks and activities all our members enjoy. Retired members are those accredited members (full or associate) who have formally retired from practice and pay reduced fees. Supporter status is open to anyone, typically those in the very early stages of a career linked to conservation and those keen to support the IHBC’s charitable objects. FEE SUPPORT Membership is available at concessionary rates for those in need or on low wages. Members of any category who make a case for fee support may secure further reductions. All forms of concessionary membership last only for the subscription year in which they are agreed. Full details are on the website. Retired This form of membership allows a reduced subscription rate for existing members who are retired from practice but wish to remain in contact with the institute. Those wishing to apply for this form of membership should write to the membership services officer confirming that they are no longer practising conservation. All members have the right to receive notices, literature and Context. The Membership & Ethics committee, subject to the approval of council, will decide on eligibility for and category of assessed membership. All membership information is kept on a computer database and names and addresses can be used for mailing of appropriate information to members subject to stated preferences on the membership application form and careful control by officers. To apply for membership please see ihbc.org.uk/join/index.html. MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTIONS 2024 Subscriptions are due annually on 1 April and can be paid by direct debit, credit/debit card or by cheque (made payable to the Institute of Historic Building Conservation). NB: IHBC fees are tax deductible as a professional expense, and through tax relief can reduce the cost by 20 per cent (basic rate tax payer) to 40 per cent or more. Members, associates, affiliates and supporters £143 per annum Concessionary rate £71 per annum (available to those with an annual income below £19,000, subject to proof of income and renewed annually) Retired members £71 per annum Fee support If you are having difficulty meeting the cost of our membership fees you can apply for fee support (ihbc.org.uk/join/feesupport/index.html). Successful applicants typically have their fees reduced by 50 to 100 per cent of the full rate. CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT The IHBC specifies ongoing training and development as a fundamental duty for an active professional. Consequently, CPD is compulsory for full members and strongly recommended for affiliates, individuals intending to become full members and associates. See ihbc.org.uk/learning/ cpd for details and registration forms. How much is required? Full members must complete 50 hours of CPD over any two-year period and must supply CPD registration forms when requested by the institute. What qualifies? CPD must be planned on the basis of a personal development assessment related to the areas of competence (see page 12) and can include site visits, independent research, volunteering or other activities which broaden a member’s professional horizons. Where can I find CPD events? Sign up to receive the IHBC’s free CPD circular, or see events.ihbc.org.uk to find short courses and events, including many provided by IHBC regional branches. IHBC membership currently stands at 2,503. Excluding those members who have retired (173), 53 per cent are employed in the private sector (1,239) and 29 per cent in the public sector, with 478 in local authorities and 180 in national government bodies. IHBC MEMBERS BY EMPLOYMENT SECTOR NOTE These figures exclude retired members Third sector 8% National government 8% Local government 20% Private sector 53% Not employed 3% Students 5% Miscellaneous 1% Education 2%
12 YEARBOOK 2024 CODE OF CONDUCT The object of the code of conduct is to promote those standards of conduct and self-discipline required of a member of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation in the interests of the public and the protection of the built heritage. The main object of the institute is the promotion, for the benefit of the public, of the conservation of, and education and training in, the conservation and preservation of buildings, structures, areas, gardens and landscapes which are of architectural and historical interest and/or value in the United Kingdom. This heritage, which is part of society’s common heritage and which should be available to everyone, is, however, a limited and irreplaceable resource. It is therefore the duty of all members to act for and to promote its protection. Subscription to the IHBC’s code of conduct for individuals involved in the conservation and preservation of the built heritage assumes acceptance of these responsibilities. Those who subscribe to it and carry out its provisions will thereby be identified as persons professing specific standards of competence, responsibility and ethical behaviour in the pursuit of historic environment conservation work. This code indicates the general standard of conduct to which members of the institute are expected to adhere, failing which its governing body may judge them guilty of conduct unbecoming to a member of the institute and may reprimand, suspend or expel them. For further information see ihbc.org.uk/resources/A4-Code-ofConduct.pdf. AREAS OF COMPETENCE COMPETENCES PROFESSIONAL 1. Philosophy 2. Practice PRACTICAL EVALUATION 3. History 4. Research, recording and analysis MANAGEMENT 5. Legislation and policy 6. Finance and economics INTERVENTION 7. Design and presentation 8. Technology AREAS OF COMPETENCE AND COMPETENCES FOR IHBC MEMBERS The IHBC’s ‘areas of competence’, and their underpinning ‘competences’ provide an outline of the skills, knowledge and experience needed to fulfil the requirements of accredited membership of the institute. Prospective members are advised to refer to the institute’s current guidance for applicants, Membership Standards, Criteria and Guidelines (2008) which is posted on our website’s membership pages – see ihbc.org.uk/join/apply/index.html The following provides a brief summary of the principal headings: PROFESSIONAL AREA OF COMPETENCE 1. Philosophy Knowledge and understanding of conservation theory and the social, cultural, political, aesthetic, economic and environmental values that underpin current conservation policy and practice 2. Practice Knowledge and understanding of conservation practice and making of informed and authoritative conservation judgements, including knowledge of its processes and protocols and the ability to interact effectively with all bodies and individuals who have a significant role to play in the field PRACTICAL AREA OF COMPETENCE: EVALUATION 3. History Knowledge and understanding of the development of the historic environment including the remains of previous periods and cultures, historic buildings and settlements, work of engineering, parks, gardens and other elements of the historic landscape 4. Research, recording and analysis Ability to carry out or commission research, recording and analysis of the historic environment, and to maintain records accordingly PRACTICAL AREA OF COMPETENCE: MANAGEMENT 5. Legislation and policy Knowledge and understanding of legislation and policy for the conservation of historic environments, their formulation locally and nationally, and awareness of other relevant legislation, policies and guidance 6. Finance and economics Knowledge and understanding of economic factors in applying heritage legislation and policy, including applications for statutory consents, and for procurement of conservation services for heritage-related projects, including financial and viability assessments, valuation, cost planning and contracts PRACTICAL AREA OF COMPETENCE: INTERVENTION 7. Design and presentation Ability to analyse and evaluate historic contexts and to secure appropriate designs in fabric, buildings, townscape and areas, existing and proposed, and to communicate results in ways accessible to professionals and communities 8. Technology Knowledge and understanding of building construction of all periods, the characteristics of structures, the nature and properties of building materials, and appropriate methods of repair and alteration of historic fabric.
REVIEW AND ANALYSIS Regenerated industrial land at King’s Cross, London, with WilkinsonEyre-designed flats within the cast iron frames of the original gas holders (Photo: Jonathan Taylor)
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REVIEW AND ANALYSIS 15 WELCOME! MIKE BROWN, IHBC PRESIDENT THE IHBC Yearbook is now in its 24th wonderful year. Within its pages you will find a comprehensive guide to the world of heritage conservation. It includes a directory of members and articles on topical conservation issues including ‘Place and Building Care’ – our theme for the Reading Annual School. You will also find contact details for HESPR members, key sector organisations and specialist suppliers offering valuable conservation products, services and advice. Members of the IHBC will be fully versed by now in our efforts to petition for a Royal Charter and the resolution to the April 2024 AGM authorising the formal process was passed overwhelmingly. Our Chair, David McDonald, in his Yearbook column explores the advantages to our members of being granted a charter. For readers yet to join the IHBC, this would be a timely moment to get your membership application in! For the IHBC to succeed in this endeavour we must make our strongest case to the Privy Council Office (the PCO advises the monarch on the suitability of petitioners) and, importantly, we must also carry the wider sector with us. The PCO, in considering our proposal, will take soundings across UK governments, Ieading heritage sector societies and professional associations, seeking their views, letters of support and any objections. We are confident of our case, of course, but are mindful of the perceptions of others. Consequently, we have weighed how our case might impact or benefit those organisations and what its potential is to enhance and strengthen the whole sector. Following preliminary discussions, the response of the PCO has been very encouraging. The memorandum (or letter of intent) required by the PCO should provide evidence of the extent to which the IHBC is pre-eminent in its field, its high professional and ethical standards, our sound governance arrangements and financial robustness. The most critical test for the PCO, however, is ‘would the granting of a charter to the petitioner be in the public interest?’ So, the issue is not so much would the charter be of benefit to the petitioner and its members, but rather ‘would it be in the wider interests of society?’ While all those practicing in the heritage sector would be confident that their work is in the public interest, posing the question provides an opportunity for us to provide a more sharply focused definition of our role in society. Britain’s heritage is the topophilic ‘cherished familiar landscape’ that provides the stage upon which all of us can successfully conduct our daily lives in well-being and health, and within an enriching cultural context. Its very time-depth provides continuity and stability in a world of increasingly dizzying change, while the evidence of its managed evolution gives us confidence that the future need not be feared. So, Britain’s heritage is much more than a tourism draw, important though that is. Its conservation and protection is, therefore, of the utmost significance to the UK, both at home and abroad. The IHBC and its members are central to that endeavor. Chartered status for the IHBC will strengthen the standing and professional reputation of not just our members, but all those organisations and individuals working in heritage, place-making and the building conservation sector. Chartered status will underscore professional and ethical standards and thereby enhance practitioner and client confidence and trust. This will help strengthen the recognition by government, employers and the wider public of the value of heritage and its practitioners to society. In time, this has the potential to encourage a more rewarding career path and better remuneration. It will deepen public understanding of the benefits of holistic, interdisciplinary conservation services, and provide a chartered UK body as a focus for training, learned discourse and professional standards across the built heritage sector. As a progressive conservation body committed to heritage as a vehicle for growth and an exemplar for a greener future, a chartered IHBC will be better placed to change old perceptions about heritage as a constraint on progress. Once the PCO has collated and considered the responses from governments and our sector colleagues, it will then respond to the IHBC and advise of any measures it considers necessary prior to the submission of a formal petition for charter. If you need further information about the charter, a more detailed explanation of the process or simply seek answers to any questions, just get in touch. Please send statements of support or any questions to admin@ ihbc.org.uk. Mike Brown is IHBC President (president@ihbc.org.uk) and Director of Conservation & Design Ltd
16 YEARBOOK 2024 CHAIR’S REVIEW ADVOCATING CHARTERED STATUS DAVID McDONALD, IHBC CHAIR ONE OF the privileges of being chair of the IHBC is being able to attend Heritage Day events which are organised by The Heritage Alliance. This year it took place at St John’s Church, Waterloo, in London. Speakers included Heritage Minister, Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay and the recently appointed chair of Historic England, Neil Mendoza. The event was not only an opportunity to name drop and network with colleagues across the historic environment sector but also a learning experience. I joined a workshop to discuss best practice in advocacy; it proved to be not only a useful and enlightening session but very pertinent to this review. In his welcome to the Yearbook, our president, Mike Brown, has very eloquently outlined how we might be persuading others of the benefits of chartered status for the IHBC. We did our bit at the event, networking and attempting to ‘work the room’ with our colleagues in the sector. Advocacy is an important but sometimes underappreciated part of what the IHBC is about. Our advocacy works at all sorts of levels, from attendance at events such as Heritage Day, to our response to consultations and interactions with government organisations and even members, day-to-day dealing with clients, councillors and members of the public. We are all in some way or other extolling the benefits of conserving the historic environment. In any advocacy, key skills involve understanding the person or organisation that you are trying to influence and, to some extent, putting yourself in their position. That will help you frame your arguments in the right way and ‘press the right buttons’ to get them on side. In considering how I might sell the advantages of chartered status, this has led me to try and put myself into the shoes of a typical working member of the institute. How might I perceive and react to the possibility of the chartered IHBC? My first question might be, ‘What are the benefits to me personally as well as to the organisation as a whole?’ As Mike Brown has argued, there has to be a benefit from being able to say that one’s professional body is chartered. With apologies to those not interested in football, the sporting analogy is quite a powerful one. It is the difference between being in the Premier League in contrast to the Championship. In other words, we are competing at the highest level. In practical terms, if I am appearing at a public inquiry, my professional status as the member of a chartered organisation is more likely to be accepted than questioned by a crossexamining barrister. The second question might very well be, ‘How will chartered status affect me financially?’ We have been unable to find data that would verify that there is a direct correlation between salary levels and chartership, but anecdotally there may well be a case to be made. The other commonly asked financial query, as demonstrated by our consultation with members is, ‘Will it mean a rise in my annual subscription?’ On that point, I can be more definite in my response. We have sufficient reserves to cover the cost of a petition for charter and, subsequently, any increases in subscriptions will be due solely to inflation or other unforeseen cost rises. I’m aware that I’ve only made a very limited attempt at advocacy here and I would recommend readers to the IHBC website and the ‘frequently asked questions’ section under the ‘petition for charter’ tab on the home page. While the institute’s tentative progress towards chartered status has taken much of my time over the past year, I should also make comment on the IHBC’s other achievements. The 2023 Annual School in Swansea was another hybrid event that built on the work that had made the 2022 event in Aberdeen so successful. Its theme of climate change and retrofit was, of course, timely and impressed upon delegates that this is an ever-changing aspect of conservation and one to which we will be returning frequently. That was followed up in July when the all-party parliamentary group, Conservation Places and People, turned its attention to the lessons learnt in high street regeneration. As in previous years, the content of this yearbook follows that of the annual school which is to be held in Reading. Its title ‘Place and Building Care’ sets an ambitious aim and will cover a wide range of topics including many aspects of managing the historic environment. I’m sure readers will find the connections between economics, finance and people very instructive. As always, I am looking forward to seeing our members in person and online at what promises to be an exciting annual school. David McDonald chair@ihbc.org.uk
REVIEW AND ANALYSIS 17 DIRECTOR’S UPDATE BUILDING ON RESILIENCE SEÁN O’REILLY, IHBC DIRECTOR IT MAY seem a little ironic, perhaps even caustic, that the substantial progress we’re making as we move beyond the pandemic is underpinned by savings made in lockdown, from travel constraints to training events! For example, our annual schools have benefited from our development of hybrid models following emergency online iterations of the Brighton school in 2020 and ’21, and online and in-person events at Aberdeen (’23) and Swansea (’24). As a result we now have greater financial flexibility and we are confident of potential improvements. More strategically, our post-Covid surplus helped advance longer-term corporate plan objectives, notably exploring how a charter might help us deliver our core objects and member aspirations. As readers of the Director’s Cut in Context will know, analysis of feedback from the charter-linked survey and from member-engagement across 2023 have served more as proxy guidance for our next corporate plan than clarifying chartering concerns. We are not alone in having drawn lessons as well as resources from the huge tragedies around the pandemic, but I think, serendipitously more than operationally perhaps, we have been very well placed to make full use of the opportunities offered across numerous and diverse areas of corporate probity, service and practice. Curiously, perhaps one of the most advantageous aspects of the lockdown for us has been the push to review the resilience of our resource management in the face of unlikely ‘black swan’ risks such as the pandemic. Previously, with funds so low and capacity tight, we held cash reserves. From early 2021, urged on by inflationary impacts and banking threats, we put our arrangements under the spotlight and saw much room for improvement. The first step has been to move reserve funds into more inflation-protected holdings and across different banks. The second will be a 360-degree risk review. EDUCATION AND TRAINING Mindful of the IHBC’s focus on learning support through our branch networks, investment expanded most notably in training, with a focus on career support for members and the appointment of a new education and training lead officer, Angharad Hart. Targeting new, if still scarce, resources is critical here. From the charter discussions as well as with our members, we had become increasingly aware of how much the absence of credible infrastructure for career support is hampering those looking for IHBC accreditation. The process is made more complex by the wide range of career paths and the interdisciplinary nature of historic environment conservation practice. Whether the fault lies with employers, practice leads or government regulators, this failure to accommodate the skills diversity that underpins successful conservation means that the IHBC’s services have a critical role in the future of the built environment. The IHBC’s new and more graded membership categories now extend from unassessed supporter to assessed but unaccredited affiliate, then baseline accreditation as associate and full, and IHBC accreditation as an interdisciplinary built and historic environment professional. These now serve as the best, and I think the only, formal trajectory for careers in a type of specialist conservation practice that not only accords with core ICOMOS guidance but also with the project-focused pragmatics of the World Bank principles. To underpin this refinement, we have new training resources and guidance, from helping supporters secure new affiliate status, to tighter descriptions of our skills areas; the competences that underpin our Areas of Competence. As such, we can now truly serve as a body serving a professional practice. We do not need a charter to tell us that, or a pandemic to highlight how important our work is, but both have helped us better appreciate our core values. Branches and members: IHBC’s volunteer-led branches have been responding to their own challenges, too, as they work hard to adapt their unique range of locally accessible, cost-effective and high-quality CPD to post-pandemic climates and pressures. In this they have been helped by funding allocations and bid opportunities, again sourced in lockdown-led surpluses. Additional structural support has included a dedicated branch support role, which is still evolving to make sure it maximises benefit across our services. Annual schools: The IHBC Swansea School in June 2023 looked at the critical issue of ‘Climate Change and the Historic Environment: Resilience and Performance’ and focused more on the in-person training experience than the structurally blended approach adopted in Aberdeen. Alongside its vital insights, Swansea also offered an invaluable perspective on the strengths and weaknesses inherent in both approaches to blended learning, Seán O’Reilly with annual school delegates at the Penderyn distillery, Swansea
18 YEARBOOK 2024 from the wider participation possible with digital engagement to the barriers inevitable in real life experience. Now, we are more confident of our evolving school model, with online and in-person delegate experiences more fully balanced while also including a free, virtual-only and ‘all welcome’ experience. We also have the schoolthemed MarketPlace:LIVE, linked to our evolving online, holistic service and advisory support resource, the Heritage MarketPlace. CELEBRATION AND AWARDS The diverse range of IHBC-led and linked awards marks an increasingly sophisticated thread in our strategic promotion of the IHBC’s own interdisciplinary conservation practice. This is helped not least by the continuing integration of funding and cross-branding through our CREATIVE Conservation Fund. The awards: Our longstanding and signature award is the Annual Gus Astley Student Award. Over two years, we have been fortunate to welcome as guest judges for 2023 and 2024 both ICOMOS-UK President Clara Arokiasamy OBE and our own esteemed John Fidler, first editor of Context, among a myriad of other credits. Today, our suite of annual student awards and commendations are supplemented by our invaluable partnership with the Marsh Trust; the IHBC Marsh Award for Community Contribution helps us to celebrate our retired members better and the sector’s new learners, while the IHBC Marsh Award for Successful Learning in Heritage Skills helps us to thank volunteers in and across our branches and their networks. Since 2021 too, a new partnership with the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain (SAHGB) has promoted quality research in conservation practice. 25th Anniversary celebration: The institute’s programme celebrating our 25th anniversary and marking the institute’s founding in 1997 (#IHBC25) elongated into 2023 and beyond, perhaps unsurprisingly given wider pressures. The Scotland Branch’s own history, as well as our update of the UK-wide Conservation Professional Practice Principles are ongoing. Others, no less ambitious, have concluded, including a remarkable celebratory issue of Context in December 2022. Other proud moments marking our anniversary year included our first IHBC Research for Practice Digest, in April 2023. PARLIAMENTARY ADVOCACY Extending our UK-wide conservation advocacy in the political field, most notably through the Westminsterbased All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), has been understandably complex, especially recently. Further briefings and engagement built on our 2022 APPG inquiry into the ‘Values of Heritage’ continued in 2023, but then logistical challenges took over, including new procedures and rules affecting the structure and accountability of APPGs. Logistical issues increased as pressures on APPG members rose, while perhaps most importantly, the Westminster focus failed to engage devolved governments. Now, helpfully informed by substantial and first-hand experience, we are using this knowledge to develop a more sophisticated approach to engagement in the political arena. GOVERNANCE AND CHARTERSHIP In the context of post-pandemic survival, too, enhancing the infrastructure of our governance has been critical, with equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) as critical considerations. To help develop a more representative profile across our board in advance of our 2023 AGM, the headline moment was the proactive promotion of a new statement by trustees. This has culminated in the appointment of new co-opted trustees to enhance the board’s profile and set a new trajectory for our future. It will also help shape our future council. As the constitutional training ground for future IHBC trustees and leaders, our council lies at the heart of how we will evolve. In that context, we have been both privileged and delighted to extend the senior professional presence there in March 2023 with the appointment of Rebecca Thompson, past president of the CIOB, to the post of council vice president. Governance takes us full circle to the discussions around a royal charter for the IHBC and all that that entails. Alongside wide-ranging trustee-led and locally focused discussions, this process culminated first in a survey co-ordinated by consultant David Williams in the Summer of 2023. It consolidated a baseline of member interest in the initiative and identified issues and questions to be addressed. At every stage it has been made clear that the IHBC would and could only petition for a charter if there were overwhelming support from members, and the next step is already under way through our 2024 AGM. In conclusion: Clearly, recent times have offered unique and often unforeseeable challenges and opportunities. I hope and believe that we have done all we possibly could to make the most of both for conservation practice and practitioners, as well as for wider public interest and good. And regardless of how that all serendipitously ties with the fundamentals of a charter, I hope that we have also remained true to our core principles and objectives. If so, in these difficult times, we are even more of a rare beast. Seán O’Reilly is the Director of IHBC (director@ihbc.org.uk), joining in 2005 after working at the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland. He has written, contributed to and edited numerous publications in architectural history and conservation. ICOMOS-UK President Clara Arokiasamy OBE with Gus Astley Student Awards winners in Swansea
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