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Adrian Phillips puts skills learned on a course funded by the SPAB’s Fenland and Wash regional group into action. The group is seeking further candidates who would benefit from retraining in traditional building repair and upkeep


Local hero in the making


SPAB’s Fenland andWash regional group is closing the skills gapby helping Norfolkbuilding workers learntraditional skills. Group member John Wilsonreportson their first protégé


necessary skills and knowledge to do the work. The SPAB Fenland andWash regional group has long been keen to provide


financial and practical help for people seeking this sort of training. Two years ago the group decided, with SPAB HeadOffice approval, to sponsor a student studying for the Cambridge University Higher Education Certificate in Historic Building Conservation. Today, as public funds for conservation come under increasing pressure, private support for training is evenmore important. The criteria for choosing a candidate for the bursary was twofold; the recipient


T


must be fromthe region, and his or her backgroundmust to be in craft. The insistence on a craftsperson was not just because of the obvious need; it was also an attempt, albeit a verymodest and local one, to provide something that complements the outstanding work that the SPAB has done with generations of awards to its Scholars and Fellows,many of whomhave gone on to become leading architects, conservators and building specialists. Finding a suitable candidate was not easy, but eventually, and just in time for


the 2009/2011 Cambridge programme, an application was received fromsomeone whomatched the group’s criteria perfectly. Adrian Phillips, fromwest Norfolk, immediately impressed everyone with his


keenness and desire for further training. Not only did he seemright for the support being offered, he has proved to be a very able student. Nowmore than half way through the two-year course, Adrian is doing well in all his assignments and impressing tutors with an enthusiasmthat borders on passion. By his own admission, Adrian did not enjoy school or do well academically.


Early training as a photographer did not lead to a career, and the following years were filled with travel and a long list of exciting but short-lived jobs. Adrian was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 28. Recovery was a long


process, and to help with his rehabilitation he took up painting and decorating for friends and family. He liked the work and stayed in the decorating business for ten years, initially two years with a professional firmbefore starting out on his own.


58 Cornerstone, Vol 32, No 2 2011


he need for craftsworkers skilled in traditional building techniques, though less acute than 20 years ago, continues to be a problemfor those striving to conserve and repair our built heritage.Whilst it is encouraging to see somany young people taking up apprenticeships and enrolling on courses, there remains a gap that is perhaps best filled by encouraging existing experienced craftspeople to acquire the


As a decorator, Adrian often came across windows and other items of joinery


in need of repair and, always one for a challenge, set aboutmending them. He found he gained great satisfaction fromworking with wood, and this began a gentle shift fromdecorating to carpentry. As this became a new career he sharpened his self-taught skills by completing an NVQcarpentry course. The course increased the range of work Adrian could undertake, and also


introduced himto Shaun Allen, one of the technicians at the college where he studied. Shaun and Adrian soon found they had a common interest in traditional methods and began working together, a collaboration which continues to this day. Adrian’s early years in conservation were helped by securing a client in King’s


Lynn, Dr Geoffrey Bolt, the owner of a 14th-century house. The confidence gained frombeing trusted with such exacting work paid off, and owners of similar properties began seeking his services. Recently Adrian has been working on Clifton House, the spectacularmedievalmerchant’s house in King’s Lynn that is now the home of Dr Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage. Already the course has had amarked effect on Adrian, widening his knowledge


of all aspects of repair and sharpening his already growing interest in the qualities and properties of thematerials used in repair and conservation. Adrian Phillips, whilst remarkable, cannot be unique; theremust bemany


others like himwho, with help and encouragement, can join the body of craftspeople doing such splendid work on our historic buildings. The SPAB Fenland andWash regional group is already eyeing its next candidate; let us hope their success encourages others to help talented people in a similar way.


SIMON BARBER


SIMON BARBER


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