New partnership between the Heritage Skills Centre, University of Leicester and English Heritage

The Heritage Skills Centre at Lincoln Castle, and University of Leicester are to partner with English Heritage on the new Heritage Practice Training Programme launching this autumn. The new programme of short courses will be for Archaeologists, Planners, Conservation Officers, Architects, Surveyors, Contractors and others working in the historic environment.

With a focus on the practical, technical and specialist skills of the workforce the programme will be delivered by staff from English Heritage, the University of Leicester and craftspeople and staff from the Heritage Skills Centre. The three-year programme will be wide-ranging and cover topics such as how to re-use rural buildings; how to preserve burial sites and how to commission and specify work on historic buildings.

Professor Simon Gunn from the University’s Centre for Urban History said: ‘We are very excited to be working with English Heritage on this new programme and to welcome those working in the sector to Leicester. It’s the wide range of expertise here which led to the partnership with English Heritage and means that our teaching and research can continue to inform and be informed by current heritage practice.’

Kathryn Banfield from the Heritage Skills Centre said: ‘This partnership is a great opportunity to bring heritage professionals from around the country to see the fantastic built heritage of Lincoln and the wider county. We’re looking forward to sharing the expertise of craftspeople and building conservation professionals with the wider heritage sector.”

In addition, the new autumn season at the Heritage Skills Centre offers a wide ranging programme in traditional crafts with a new series of conservation and building skills courses. The conservation courses focus on how to look after family heirlooms and antiques at home, such as a great aunt’s lace shawl through to a treasured tea set, childhood toys or family documents and photographs. These are entry level courses aimed at people with little or no knowledge of conservation, with a practical emphasis and participants will look at cleaning, storage, repair and maintenance of objects.

The traditional building skills courses have been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund so these are offered to the public free of charge for a limited time. The courses include a basic introduction into how historic buildings function, as well as several practical workshops for homeowners, contractors and professionals which cover walls, windows, roofs and everything in between.

To book please visit the Heritage Skills Centre website.