H 10 · Conservation bodies
Several independent conservation bodies have education programmes. Of these the most developed is the programme organised by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.
This private trust, founded in 1877 by William Morris to try to prevent the damaging restoration work to old buildings which had become the norm in Victorian England (notably in churches), has always regarded education as a core mission. For its members, house owners and those charged with the care of old buildings, it organises a range of educational activities. Its regular short courses on the repair of old buildings are aimed variously at professionals in the field (architects, surveyors, engineers) and at house owners. Through the William Morris Craft Fellowship it offers an advanced training scheme for craftsmen and craftswomen, working in a wide range of disciplines, over several months. The SPAB also runs volunteers’ working parties and technical days.
The SPAB’s training schemes have inspired a number of comparable activities organised by other bodies, such as the two-day building conservation courses run by Essex County Council.
The Civic Trust is the national voice for nearly 900 civic societies across the country, with over 330,000 members. They run a number of programmes designed to empower people to take an active role in the future of their communities, such as their Civic Champions training initiative. The Trust organises the Heritage Open Days which have become an annual event.
British Waterways organises a number of Heritage Skills Courses, generally lasting one to two days and affordable, on such subjects as historic metalwork, masonry repairs, and lime mortars.
The Woodchester Mansion Trust, near Stroud, which was formed in order to ensure the survival of this remarkable ruin, offers a range of training courses, primarily related to masonry.
Other amenity societies, including the Georgian Group, the Victorian Society and the Twentieth Century Society organise a range of publications, conferences and visits, largely aimed at their own members. The Georgian Group has recently appointed a part-time education officer and is expanding its activities for schools and other learners to include a schools’ newsletter, teachers’ packs on Georgian architecture and an annual architecture summer school for teenagers.
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