It’s been a busy few months since our last communication in January, with a huge amount of work undertaken by our teams all over the country. We’ve been gilding in Westminster relaying mosaics in Stanford, pointing at Blickling and undertaking conservation at the Roman Baths, working hard to conserve Britain’s heritage. Some of these projects are showcased below, others have been recognised by some glowing feedback which is always a pleasure to receive.
Recently the Bath Workshop team received a postcard of thanks from the Rector of All Saints Church, Barton Stacey, following repairs to the medieval tiles in the church. The note highlighted how the project had brought the whole community together and protected the heritage of the building for future generations.
We are also pleased to have attended the RICS awards in May to see our Painshill, Temple of Bacchus project shortlisted for two South East RICS awards and I recently met the Judges from the Oxford Preservation Trust Awards at Oxford’s Westgate Shopping Centre to talk them through our Westgate Tiles entry. Although just a small selection of mediaeval floor tiles were conserved and displayed above the lifts in a corner of the shopping centre, it is a fascinating piece of historic Oxford amongst the glass and steel of modern consumerism, cited in the place where the contemplative cloisters of Greyfriars friary once stood.
This year we have also welcomed four new members to our team. Thomas Hipwell joins our Houghton team in Norfolk and is working towards his NVQ in Heritage masonry, while undertaking a variety of works for us in East Anglia and further afield with our other workshops as part of his training.
Dieter Eichhorn joins our West Country workshop, as mason and conservator. Dieter has recently spent his second freelance spell with the company and now joins as an employee. Dieter has managed work on high profile, high level projects both at Dyrham Park and the Vyne. The latter project delivered a RICS award for Conservation for the whole ‘lifting the roof project’. Dieter undertook his masonry training in Bath following a history degree: he continues to provide excellent craftsmanship and conservation and will be a valuable addition to our team.
Rupert Hilton, RICS Conservation accredited Building Surveyor, CIOB Conservation Certified Specialist, has been with Cliveden Conservation now for some months, joining as Head of Advisory Section manager to work alongside Trevor and take the lead in managing our growing portfolio of advisory work, consultancy and surveys. Rupert brings with him experience of working on the other side of contract administration and surveying in the conservation industry, and has a veritable armoury of digital technology to complement our surveys and reports.
And finally, Julia Gynn ACR has re-joined the Cliveden Conservation fold, which is a much welcomed move. Working in the Decorative Arts Section, Julia is lending her years of experience and wealth of knowledge to an already sizeable portfolio of conservation projects and further bolsters our team of well-trained and accredited conservators.
A team of conservation professionals who, under Trevor’s supervision, continue to offer expert advice and professional support to all our clients on the wide variety of projects with which we love to be involved. Whether you are the National Trust, Principal Contractor, a Parish Church or a private homeowner, Cliveden Conservation looks forward to working with you from initial survey to finishing flourishes.
Lewis Proudfoot, Director Cliveden Conservation