The 2023 Spring Conference of the Vernacular Architecture Group will be held in Stockport, Greater Manchester, from Tuesday 11 to Saturday 15 April 2023. During the day members will tour the locality, visiting and interpreting lesser traditional buildings. Lectures and discussions will be held in the evenings. The visits will cover Stockport’s medieval centre and the village of Warburton (Wednesday), halls and barns of north Manchester (Thursday) and Fairfield Moravian settlement and halls south of Manchester (Friday). The conference will be based at Bredbury Hall Hotel.

Bursaries available, applications close 3 March 2023

Main Conference Website

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Applications Close 10 March 2023

Link to further information and how to apply

Time Commitment: The time commitment is around one day per week (including attendance at events), spread across the year. The main Board meets four times a year (plus one for the accounts if necessary) and there are sub committees covering Nominations, Finance & Investment, People and Audit & Risk, as well as working groups on Diversity & Inclusion and Digital & Technology, which usually meet twice a year and to which the Chair is invited but may not always attend.

Please note this role is not remunerated. 

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Who Are Your Heritage Heroes?

It’s time to nominate the volunteers that are the heroes of your organisation. Now in their 12^th year, the Heritage Heroes Awards, sponsored by specialist heritage insurer Ecclesiastical, are the Heritage Alliance’s celebration of the outstanding contribution Britain’s heritage volunteers make to society. 

Volunteers play a vital role in protecting and championing the UK’s heritage. From caring for rural heritage sites to checking in on empty heritage buildings during lockdown. From capturing our cultural heritage to devising new ways of working remotely. Volunteers’ skills, passion, and commitment have proven to be more crucial now, than ever before. 

This Year’s Categories

Alongside Ecclesiastical’s Heritage Hero 2022 Award, our special category for this year is Ecclesiastical’s Heritage Storyteller Award, designed to specifically recognise those who helped bring untold stories to light on the heritage project/organisation they supported in 2022.

Closes 15 Jan 2023

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Applications Close 31 January 2023

The Building Conservation Summer School bursary is available to a limited number of aspiring building conservation professionals who fulfil the criteria and who would not otherwise be able to attend if a bursary was not awarded to them. There will be a selection process, which may include an online interview.

The bursaries are available to those who intend to seek a career in the building conservation sector. We welcome applications from all suitable candidates regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, socio-economic backgrounds and beliefs.

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INTBAU Qatar and Caravane Earth Foundation are pleased to announce an opportunity for an architectural apprenticeship, which will involve learning and working alongside Professor Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil. Born in Egypt and having practised throughout the Middle East, El-Wakil is known worldwide for his use of traditional form and technique, his use of the materials beneath his feet, and his deep veneration for local craftsmanship. El-Wakil’s projects in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon, and the UK have earned him, amongst others, the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and the Richard H. Driehaus Prize.

Candidate Specification

In its true and ancient sense, an apprenticeship is an opportunity to learn through observation and practice, with apprentices giving of themselves to receive knowledge acquired over years of practice and handed down from generation to generation.

Successful candidates will be able to demonstrate the following three things.

-an interest in going beyond technical detail, to understand the philosophy and wider narrative of building

-an understanding of natural materials, and through them an engagement with craft and craftspeople

-knowledge of geometry as a language that underpins design

For more information about how to apply for these apprenticeships, please download the candidate specification in full and the application form here.

Interested candidates should complete the application form and submit it along with the attachments outlined on the form. Applications should be sent to i.mouawad@caravane.earth by 31 January 2023.
The same email address can be used for any questions.

You can find out more about the Chapter in Qatar here, and Caravane Earth Foundation on their website.

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INTBAU is seeking to recruit three new trustees to join the board. All are welcome to apply by submitting

– a cover letter (maximum one page) which outlines the particular strength or skill you would like to offer to INTBAU and
– a CV (maximum two pages)

to info@intbau.org by 9 January 2023.

Candidates will be shortlisted by a panel formed of representatives of INTBAU’s chapters, staff, and current trustees.

Please see here for further information and to download the role description: https://zcu.io/YQPf

We encourage applicants to register as general members of our network, and sign up to receive our monthly newsletter: https://www.intbau.org/join-and-support/general-membership/

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The Landmark Trust is the UK’s second biggest historic buildings charity. It rescues extraordinary historic buildings from dereliction and gives them a vibrant new life as places everyone can enjoy for short breaks. Each year some 40,000 people stay in our buildings, and another 10,000 visit them on public open days or through our educational programmes. http://www.landmarktrust.org.uk

Calverley Old Hall’s exceptional potential has languished unfulfilled for decades. This outstanding medieval manor house, Grade I Listed, is now on the Buildings at Risk Register. In the 1980s, when the Landmark Trust acquired the property, one element, the 17th-century Lodging Block, was restored as a holiday let for 5 and the rest was made safe while life tenancies within the subdivided building concluded. These ended in 2001 and much of the building has remained unoccupied and deteriorating. The Lodging Block has been a popular place to stay, but other than this, and occasional public open days, there has been little engagement by people with the site.

In May 2022 the Landmark Trust was awarded a £1,600,000 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Our two-year project will bring the whole site into new use with spectacular self-catering holiday accommodation for 10 alongside dedicated space for local communities. The £1,600,000 Heritage Enterprise Grant from the Heritage Fund, taken together with the many other donations from generous supporters, means work has now begun to deliver the capital works, alongside an ambitious and wide-ranging Activity Plan, Crafting Cultures.

For more information see the project brief:

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This year’s conference is to taking place in person on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th January 2023 and we are looking forward to welcoming as many participants as possible to College Court in Leicester.

The theme is Trans-National Connections: Vernacular Architecture in Britain & Beyond with keynote speaker Matthew Johnson.

The attached brochure provides full details of the conference and programme.

The Vernacular Architecture Group is able to offer two bursaries to assist registered students (or professionals in the early years of their career) to attend the conference. The Committee is aware that the cost often makes attendance difficult for students and others who might benefit from the lectures and discussions, and from the opportunity to meet people active in the field.  Both full-time and part-time students are welcome to apply.

Applicants must be students of vernacular architecture (or a related discipline) or early career professionals working in the field. There is no application form, but candidates will be expected to write:

1. showing evidence of an active interest in historic buildings, ideally vernacular architecture, including a list of relevant courses undertaken
2. showing evidence that they are active in the field, e.g. by membership of the VAG or other relevant groups, or through relevant work experience
3. explaining how they hope to benefit from attending the conference

Applications from students must be endorsed by a course tutor, and applications from early career professionals must be supported by a professional referee.  Any other financial support available to the applicant for attending the conference must be declared. Applications and tutor endorsements/references should be sent by emailtothe VAG Secretary, Claire Jeffery, email secretary@vag.org.uk to reach her no later than Saturday 3 December.  The bursary will cover the full cost of the £190 conference fee but will not cover travel or any other expenses.

Applicants who are already members of the Group and propose to attend the conference with or without the support of a bursary should ensure a place on the conference by booking in the normal way. Anyone who has booked and paid for a place at their own expense but subsequently obtains a bursary will receive a full refund. Bursary recipients will be asked to write a resume of the conference for the VAG Newsletter.  We hope that they will be sufficiently inspired by the conference to join the VAG if they are not already members.  The VAG Committee would be grateful if you could bring this item to the notice of anyone who is eligible and whom you consider would benefit from attending the conference.

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The Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme at the North Wessex downs AONB is a grant programme, having recently approved funding for a historic building restoration. Old Burghclere Barn is on Highclere Estate and after being built by the Bishop of Winchester in 1451 as one of the first tiled barns in the country, it is still in operation today as an agricultural building. We are extremely keen on the barn and the investment into it being utilised as a potential resource for education. Due it still being an operating farm building and in the context of the yard where it is located, we are unable to ensure the barn is used as a location for school groups or similar. As a result, we are investigating how else we could create value for education in the restoration of the barn. We think producing a film would be suitable (though we are open to other suggestions) showcasing the barn, its history and restoration to help inform and educate. However, we are not experts in education and especially not experts in history education! So we would like to understand what is needed to ensure this could be a useful resource and how best to achieve this. As such we would love input from experts in this field. Email Katherine Cook for details: katharinecook@northwessexdowns.org.uk

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Roebuck Street Research Studio

HOF Commonwealth Traineeship Application

Deadline for applications: 11:59pm GMT on Tuesday 15 November 2022

To apply and find out more – Hyderabad Application — The Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Commonwealth Heritage Skills Training Programme (chstrainingprogramme.org)

Organised with the Roebuck Street Redevelopment Project and the Tulane University School of Architecture, Historic Preservation Program, the Commonwealth Heritage Forum has developed the Roebuck Street Research Studio opportunity as part of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Commonwealth Heritage Skills (CHS) Training Programme. The objectives of this programme include building capacity on the technological aspects of built heritage conservation and sharing knowledge and experience among university students from Barbados, the US and UK.

The CHS Training Programme will offer 6 Hamish Ogston Foundation Commonwealth Traineeships to fund the attendance of UK-based participants on this course – who will work alongside 12 students from Tulane University and 10 students from the University of the West Indies.

The output of this programme is a heritage conservation management plan for Roebuck Street in Bridgetown, Barbados. The 650-meter street was laid out in the seventeenth century by British settlers and is presently situated within a UNESCO World Heritage designation comprising the historic Bridgetown and its garrison. Join Dr. Brent Fortenberry, Director of Historic Preservation at Tulane University, and use digital technologies such as drones, LiDAR and 3D scanning to identify and document the existing architectural heritage of Roebuck Street. Working alongside local stakeholders and heritage groups, you will analyse the remaining structure and contribute to a conservation management plan to aid in the restoration of this historic area.

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The Getty Conservation Guest Scholars Program provides opportunities for professionals to pursue research on topics that bring new knowledge and fresh perspectives to the field of conservation. Guest Scholar grants are for established scholars, or individuals who have attained distinction in their fields. 

Applications are welcome from researchers and practitioners of all nationalities working in conservation, historic preservation, heritage science, heritage studies, and related fields. Applicants should have at least seven years’ experience and should have an established record of publications and other contributions to the field. Proposals for postdoctoral research or research that contributes to a PhD or other academic degree will not be considered.

For eligibility, terms, and how to apply, visit https://gty.art/GCIScholars. The application deadline is November 1, 2022.

For questions regarding the program or the application process, please contact: GCIScholars@getty.edu

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The Benefact Trust – formerly Allchurches Trust – Heritage Skills for Christian Buildings Grants Programme ensures that heritage skills are preserved and promoted through apprenticeships, scholarships and training courses.

The grants programme is open for applications from any registered charity offering training in heritage skills, providing they can demonstrate that funding will support skills relevant to the preservation of Christian buildings. This is an evolution of our closed Heritage Grants Programme, which provided funding to key heritage partners to offer training in heritage related skills.

See the IHBC NewsBlog for more information.

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Lincoln Cathedral is seeking three Apprentice Stone Masons to join its team to work on the fabric of one of Europe’s largest medieval cathedrals.

In this role you will work towards and complete your stonemasonry apprenticeship through college tuition in academic facilities and onsite training.

The apprenticeships are open to all, but you should be enthusiastic and committed to your chosen career and demonstrate an interest for the care of buildings, the workplace, and the environment around you.

As a successful applicant you will at a minimum have a level 2 stone masonry qualification with a minimum of one years’ experience in banking and fixing in the heritage construction environment. Skills required for the role include excellent verbal and communication skills, organisational skills, and the ability to solve problems.

More information here.

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Celebrating excellence in retrofit and reuse in the built environment

The AJ Retrofit Awards, brought to you by The Architects’ Journal, recognise and celebrate the design expertise behind the vital renewal and repurposing of existing buildings, setting a precedent for ways to slash the industry’s carbon footprint in the process.

With a huge spend on upgrading housing, commercial and industrial buildings, retrofit plays a major role in the future of UK construction.

ENTER NOW for your chance to be recognised as leading the way in retrofit design.

Be one of the first 25 award entrants and receive a free AJ Retrofit Live ticket! AJ Retrofit Live is the AJ’s new conference taking place on 23 November at 155, Bishopsgate, London.

Early bird deadline: 14th October – £292.50 per entry + VAT

Entry deadline: 11th November – £325 per entry + VAT

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