Play your part in preserving history. English Heritage is changing from 1 April 2015 and the English Heritage Trust will be formed – a charity caring for the National Heritage Collection of more than 400 historic properties and their collections.
We asked two members of our estates team at English Heritage to tell us more.
Nichola Tasker, head of national projects, tell us what types of projects you and your team might be involved in?
"My team will deliver the major projects funded in part by the £80m government investment. These include major building conservation and repair projects, inspiring new exhibition and interpretation programmes to tell the stories of more than 400 properties, plus schemes to develop visitor facilities.
Our work at English Heritage is so interesting and varied it inspires real passion and pride in our staff. You could be dealing with a delicate Georgian wall paper one day or Elizabethan drainage problems the next. My team works nationally, we get to see a variety of building types, materials and construction techniques, which you might not experience in other jobs. For example, there is a regional variation in building materials – like flint in some areas, thatch in others, because of this craftsmen across the country use different techniques, whereas in modern building work the materials and skills tend to be generic."
With over 400 properties how is your work decided?
"In two ways; the conservation and repair projects are the result of a condition survey which we run every five years. The survey assesses the levels of interventions needed to conserve the fabric of each property.
The second way is through our capital investment programme. Before any project is given approval to proceed, new investment ideas are given a serious amount of scrutiny and consideration to ensure that the project will be viable, that there is a likely audience for the development work and that we are sure that the project is sympathetic to the history of the site."
What sort of techniques and skills do you have chance to use?
"I'm a conservation architect by background, so I use this experience to consider the project proposals, and how they then fit in with the overall programme of projects across the country. I rely on my design training to support English Heritage with good quality, sensitive designs for our historic properties. Previously, I worked for Historical Royal Palaces and have worked on the consultant's side of the desk in the private sector. These two roles have enabled me to see both sides of this type of work."
What will we be able to see if your projects are all delivered?
"In the first few years of the new charity, it should be possible to see an improvement in the condition of our historic estate overall, because repair work that we've known to be urgent for some time will be addressed with this government funding. Also, we will provide our visitors with lots more exciting and inspiring ways to engage with the history of England through our properties. We will be opening new visitor interpretation information and facilities at Eltham Palace, south London, in April 2015 and also at Tintagel later in 2015. I'm very proud of the recently completed Sovereigns Gate holiday cottages at Queen Victoria's family home at Osborne House, on the Isle of Wight."
Lee Wall, in your role of maintenance projects manager, what are the types of projects you might be involved in?
"The survey Nichola mentioned is undertaken every five years. This details the maintenance defects and gives us an overall maintenance liability for each site, which helps us to accurately forecast budgets. I will be involved in the conservation and maintenance programme which will address the defects and the priority conservation needs of each site, as identified in the survey. We categorise the conservation needs as follows:
Category zero. Urgent conservation maintenance is required to prevent any further, significant loss of fabric to the building. Category 1 issues need to be addressed within three months and Category 2 issues within 12 months.
Ultimately, the properties and monuments in our care will have a higher standard of maintenance and will continue to tell the history of our country."
What skills do you use in your role?
"My background is a practical one – one of my early jobs was as a stonemason at Carlisle and Lincoln Cathedrals. I backed up these hands-on skills with academic studies. Coupling conservation principles with the project management skills developed during my career with English Heritage means that the quality and standard of our work is maintained."
Stonemason turned project manager – what is next for you Lee?
"I've just progressed into this role; so, it will be to continue my career with the English Heritage Trust. I will be developing my skills and knowledge in areas like project management of mechanical, electrical and archaeological contractors, which will complement my existing knowledge in conservation repair and general aspects of health and safety such as asbestos identification and the Iosh health and safety qualification. Working in regional teams and with colleagues across English Heritage will help ensure people's skills are used relevantly and that there are exciting and challenging times ahead for us all."
Finally Nichola, what is next for you?
"It's now about building my team to meet the challenges of the new charity. So, if you have the right experience, enthusiasm and commitment to work with us, I look forward to receiving your application."
For more information please visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/about/jobs/job-search/
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