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The IHBC Gus Astley Annual Student Award

Up to £500 and free IHBC annual School places for selected entries for outstanding under- or post-graduate coursework relating to built or historc environment conservation.

Topics may cover any aspect of conservation including:

  • evaluation (eg history, research or surveying)
  • management (eg policy, finance or planning)
  • and/or intervention (eg design, technology or architecture)

Applicants need only submit a digital version of their coursework!
See gasa.ihbc.org.uk for forms & details

Closing date: 31st August

For results see the IHBC NewsBlog, Context, the IHBC’s membership journal, & the IHBC Annual School 

For information only please contact:
studentaward@ihbc.org.uk

AHRC/CHASE Collaborative Doctoral Award (CDA) PhD studentship – Coastal Heritage and Socio-Economic Decline on the Isle of Sheppey: Learning from the lost village of Elmley in Kent

AHRC/CHASE Collaborative Doctoral Award (CDA) PhD studentship in collaboration with the School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Kent, and Hillcrest Conservation Consultants (Hillcrest Enterprises South Ltd) – Coastal Heritage and Socio-Economic Decline on the Isle of Sheppey: Learning from the lost village of Elmley in Kent.

Qualification type: PhD

Location: School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Kent, Marlowe Building, Canterbury, CT2 7NR

Funding for: UK Students and International Students

Funding amount: fees and stipend at AHRC rates (for the current academic year 2024-25, the stipend rate is £19,837). This includes enhanced stipend to cover additional travel costs relating to the project. Please note: this funding amount typically increases with inflation each academic year. Access to additional funding related to research/equipment/event costs will be available.

Closes: Monday 17 February 2025, 12 noon

NTU – PhD studentship opportunity: Re-imagining energy retrofit and home adaptation to deliver safe and resilient homes during interconnected energy, health, housing and climate crises

Applications close – 14 February 2025

‘The Ministry of Defence warns of cascading risks, including flooding and energy insecurity, leading to homelessness and increased civil unrest (MoJ, 2024). Rising temperatures in the UK could lead to an estimated 10,000 additional deaths per year by 2050, with the impacts of heat stress on health services and community resilience remaining poorly understood (UKHSA, 2024; Richmond and Hill, 2023). During the 2022 heatwave, 71% of Nottingham residents reported physical health impacts, and 31% struggled with work (Ogunbode et al., 2023). The Grantham Institute for Climate Change are sharing urgent research questions about trade-offs and synergies for thermal comfort in winter and in summer; what works in housing retrofit to address climate risk? (Bird, Wittke, 2024)

Housing energy retrofits can improve thermal efficiency and reduce energy costs; home adaptation measures like handrails and ramps enhance accessibility; climate adaptation measures can include shutters, shading and green spaces. However, these strategies have not been studied together in research or policy (Simpson & Connelly, forthcoming). At a time of interconnected housing, energy, health, cost-of-living and climate crises, this PhD research aims to re-imagine energy retrofit and home adaptation practices toward climate adaptation.

The proposal is focused on using participatory community-based approaches, alongside review of standards, policies and interventions, for the co creation of an open access resource for the sector. The primary goal of the study is to co-create a climate resilience retrofit toolkit with retrofit providers, home adaptation groups and communities.’

For more information, visit the website here

The London Topographical Society – Ann Saunders essay prize for 2025

Submissions Close: 1 April 2025

‘At the suggestion of members, the Council of the London Topographical Society decided to fund a prize in honour of Dr Ann Saunders (1930-2019). Ann was an enthusiastic and distinguished historian of London and for thirty-five years the Society’s Honorary Editor and in that capacity helped many scholars, both young and old, to achieve publication of their work.

A prize of £1,000 will be awarded annually, depending on the response and at the discretion of the Council.

It will be awarded for an original and unpublished research essay on the topography, development or buildings of London in any period.

For more information visit the website here

Vernacular Architecture Group Winter Conference Bursary 2025

Applications Close: 9 December 2024

This year’s Winter conference is taking place on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th January 2025 at
College Court Conference Centre in Leicester. The theme is ” Pioneers in Vernacular Architecture:
examining the legacy of English Vernacular Houses, Houses of the Welsh Countryside and
other early scholars” and the attached brochure provides full details of the programme.

The Vernacular Architecture Group is able to offer two bursaries to assist registered full or part-time
students, recent graduates 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.

Applicants must meet at least one of the following criteria:

  • Undergraduates, masters or doctoral students or those who have graduated within 5 years (with a preference for those studying vernacular architecture or a related discipline)
  • Early career professionals working in the field or those with a junior professional role e.g. assistant heritage consultant, project officer or similar.

Candidates will be expected to:

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

Applications and tutor endorsements/references should be sent by email to the VAG Secretary, Claire Jeffery, email secretary@vag.org.uk to reach her no later than Monday 9 December. The bursary will cover the full cost of the £217 residential conference fee but will not cover travel to or from the
conference 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 reserved a place at full cost 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 feel would benefit from attending the conference.

Climate Heritage Network – Preserving Legacies Leadership Cohort Program

Closes: 3 January 2025

 Preserving Legacies Leadership Cohort Program

 From November 1, 2024, to January 3, 2025, you can nominate custodian individuals or organizations for a place of cultural significance to join a passionate cohort of individuals determined to protect cultural heritage against climate change.

In partnership with the Climate Heritage Network, the International Council for Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and the National Geographic Society, Preserving Legacies is a global initiative that equips heritage custodians with climate heritage training, professional connections, and resources to implement climate adaptation actions that protect heritage places. In 2024, Preserving Legacies partnered with 20 remarkable heritage places worldwide, each a testament to resilience. With each cohort, we grow a dedicated community of practice committed to securing a sustainable future for heritage in every corner of the world.

Apply Here

The Gardens Trust – Chair of the Gardens Trust

The Gardens Trust is the only UK national charity dedicated to conserving historic parks and gardens for everyone to enjoy today and in future. The ideal candidate may have an interest in gardens and garden history, but more importantly, a desire to support a small, established and ambitious organisation, and a willingness to learn and adapt skills to meet the needs. Apply here.

Closing date: 1 January 2025

Location: Working from home, London office, some travel

CYARK – Heritage Documentation Training Grant

Applications Close: 1 November 2024

CyArk is pleased to announce the Heritage Documentation Training Grant. A unique opportunity for 10 dedicated individuals to gain comprehensive photogrammetry training and hands-on experience with industry-standard software, all completely free of charge. Elevate your skills in documenting cultural heritage with cutting-edge digital tools over an intensive 3-week virtual training.

For more information visit the website here

IHBC North West Branch: Historic Building Conservation Award 2024

The IHBC North West (NW) Branch ‘Conservation Award’ for 2024 is open to nominations to 4 October, looking for the project that demonstrates best historic building conservation practice in the North West.

The IHBC NW Conservation Award is awarded annually for the project that demonstrates best historic building conservation practice in the North West.

The award is open to IHBC members involved in any historic building conservation project in Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Lancashire or the Isle of Man completed between January 2023 and the end of July 2024. The professional leading on the conservation aspects of the project should be a full member of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation…

DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION FORM

Application forms should be sent by email to : paulhartleyconservation@gmail.com with up to 5 captioned photographs and 2 plan/drawings of the project sent via wetransfer (https://wetransfer.com/ )

SPAB Fellowship Training Programme

The Fellowship is a training programme designed to broaden the skills and experience of craftspeople involved in historic building repairs.

Fellows develop their own skills and approach to repair, and learn about other traditional craft techniques through site visits guided by experienced conservation professionals.

It is a full-time programme, from mid-March to mid-December 2024, running in three blocks, with roughly two months on, two months off.

We recruit three or four Fellows each year, including one Millwright Fellow, whose programme runs continuously.

Could you be a 2025 Fellow? Find out more and apply by Monday 14 October 2024.

Programme

The programme is divided into three blocks of two months, enabling Fellows to return to work in between blocks.

In the first two blocks, Fellows travel around the country together, learning about traditional materials, skills and repair techniques through workshops and site visits.

The third block consists of longer hands-on placements, tailored to each Fellow’s individual interests and training needs.

The Millwright Fellowship runs continuously for nine months, with millwright training placements between blocks, while other Fellows are back at work.

The programme covers a wide variety of craft skills, including timber framing, lime plastering, thatching, blacksmithing, pargeting, flint knapping, stained glass, stonemasonry, bricklaying, slating and tiling.

Fellows will sometimes travel with the SPAB Scholars (architects, surveyors and structural engineers), sharing knowledge, working together, developing their philosophy of repair and learning about each other’s professions – bridging the gap commonly faced in the workplace.

This is a full-time, intensive programme, including some weekend work, so cannot be combined with other work or study.

Supervision and Assessment

Instead of formal submissions, Fellows keep a notebook throughout the programme, recording visits and repair methods through writing and sketching.

They also report on their progress to the SPAB team at various points throughout the programme, and share updates for the SPAB’s communications channels.

The SPAB Fellowship is run by Fellowship Officer Pip Soodeen and overseen by the SPAB’s Education and Training Committee. Fellows are also assigned a SPAB Fellowship mentor (usually a past Fellow).

Funding

There are no course fees for the SPAB Fellowship.

Fellows each receive a £7,000 bursary to cover basic travel and livings costs during the programme.

The Millwright Fellow receives a further £3,750 bursary to cover additional travel and living costs during the millwrighting training placements.

Supplementary finance of around £5,000 is usually required.

CITB grant funding may also be available for employers registered with CITB at least 12 months prior to the Fellowship programme commencing.

Application and Recruitment

Three or four Fellowships are awarded each year.

The SPAB recruits Fellows on merit and is committed to eliminating discrimination and encouraging diversity in the sector. We particularly welcome applications by people from backgrounds under-represented in building conservation (such as those from disadvantaged socio-economic background, women and Black and minority ethnic communities).

Please note that the offer of a SPAB Fellowship is subject to the applicant providing evidence of their right to live and work in the UK. The SPAB is not a registered sponsor body for the purpose of visa applications.  Applicants from outside the UK and Ireland should check their eligibility for a UK visa before applying to the scheme. Please check the UK government website for more information.

IHBC Gus Astley Student Award

The IHBC’s celebrated annual Gus Astley Student Award closes on 30 September this year, so if you have submitted relevant coursework on a UK taught course – under-graduate or post-graduate, whether ‘written, designed or made’ – over the two years to 31 July 2024, simply forward it online to us and see if you can win £500 cash, to be presented at our Annual School in Shrewsbury in June 2025.

ATTACH COURSEWORK HERE

For the 2024 Award, as ever, a cash prize of £500 is on offer to the winner, with smaller cash awards to commended entries. Discretionary free places at the IHBC’s Annual School, valued at around £500, are also on offer to selected entries.

Some details of the IHBC Student Awards:

  • The award is presented for an outstanding item of taught-coursework accepted as part of either under-graduate or post-graduate courses ending in the academic years either to 31 July 2023 OR 31 July 2024
  • Content need not be on conservation, but can relate to ANY aspect of the Built or Historic Environment, including for example, its evaluation ( history, research, investigation or recording); management ( planning, policy, finance or linked operations and tools such as site management or conservation plans), and/or intervention (g. design, technology and project plans), as well as more general practical or theoretical considers with conservation implications
  • Submission for this award is ONLY possible online. If your coursework isn’t easily digitised – such as craft work – we can accept suitable digital records, such as a film record
  • Any submission must be of a form that can be authenticated by the course tutor in accordance with our guidance.

See the list of past winners

Find out more about the awards and how to enter on the Gus Astley

Student Award website

See more about the history of the IHBC Gus Astley Student Awards

SUBMIT YOUR WORK HERE

SAHGB – IHBC Heritage Research Award

Submissions Close – 1 September 2024

This award – a joint venture between the SAHGB and IHBC – recognises and celebrates the quality of architectural-historical research produced by colleagues in heritage and conservation practice, as private consultants or on behalf of Non-Governmental Organisations, public bodies or comparable clients. Research undertaken for statements of significance, conservation management plans, listing, other forms of statutory protection, and to directly inform decision making in the planning and wider heritage sphere makes a significant, but all too often under-recognised contribution to the discipline and indeed to the quality of the historic environment. Moreover, methodological reflection on this work, and on heritage and preservationism more widely, adds much to the practice of architectural history. Our Heritage Research Award will provide an opportunity to understand better the diversity of this work, celebrate the very best of the research that goes into it, and make it better known to other professionals and the public.

The Award celebrates research and critical reflection. It excludes specifically consideration, assessment or endorsement of any plans, projects, sites, advocacy or arbitration etc. linked in ANY way to the research, or the success, merits, demerits or otherwise of resulting advice, decisions or interventions. This separation between research and conservation outcomes mirrors the separation that the IHBC recognises between the advice given by an IHBC member to a client or employer and the potential decisions and outcomes that ultimately may be associated with that advice.

Winning work will receive a medallion, to be presented at the SAHGB’s Annual Awards Ceremony. Winners will also be offered a free place at the corresponding IHBC Annual School. Additionally, we may contact winning researchers to request a feature for publishing on the Society’s website or members’ magazine.

For more information visit the website here.

Getty Conservation Institute – Conservation Guest Scholars Program 2025-2026

The Conservation Guest Scholars Program provides opportunities for established scholars or professionals who have attained distinction in the cultural heritage conservation field.

Recipients are in residence at the Getty Conservation Institute for either three or six months, in which they pursue their own projects free from work-related obligations, make use of research collections at the Getty Center and Getty Villa, and participate with other Getty scholars, fellows, and interns in the intellectual life of Getty.

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 of professional experience and should have an established record of publications and other contributions to the field. Individuals from groups underrepresented across the field of cultural heritage conservation are encouraged to apply. 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 October 1, 2024.

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

PhD Scholarship – Place adaptation and urban retrofit ‘on the move’, University of Glasgow

Place adaptation and urban retrofit ‘on the move’: Urban policy mobilities and transnational planning for the climate emergency.

Information on the School/Research Group

The successful candidate will join the URBAN RETROFIT UK research project, a new £1.7m multi-university investment by the ESRC, based at the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence in the Division of Urban Studies and Social Policy at the University of Glasgow. URBAN RETROFIT UK will investigate how cities can be planned, developed and ‘retrofitted’ for net-zero living and work with partners across all four nations of the UK and internationally to investigate place adaptation successes and challenges, including barriers to scaling up. This exciting new research project is part of a £9.5million investment by ERSC into five projects that will research place-based approaches for an environmentally sustainable future, providing evidence to support local and national decision making. In addition to their studies at the University of Glasgow, the successful doctoral candidate will have opportunities to develop their research internationally through the project’s research partnership with Dalhousie University in Canada, as well as with project partners at UK universities and in practice with planning, development and community stakeholders.

Project details

For centuries urban planners and policymakers have looked beyond national boundaries to identify innovative ‘best practices’ that might help address local policy challenges and create new policy networks with stakeholders in other cities and countries. The search for translatable urban policy solutions has been accelerated by the urgency of the climate emergency as local policy actors look globally for ‘fixes’ that can be readily adopted at the local level to support more sustainable development. The aim of this supervisor-led doctoral scholarship is to produce a new critical evidence base on the transferability of policies and practices geared towards place adaptation and urban retrofit by examining how and why place adaptation concepts and urban retrofit practices move between places and whether policies that work in one place can be successfully transferred to another. Using and developing critical theories on ‘urban policy mobility’, which conceptualise policy innovations as being ‘in motion’ and moving across and between national and cultural boundaries through dynamic human networks, the studentship will be an integral part of the wider URBAN RETROFIT UK research project which ultimately seeks to create a series of global evidence exchange hubs where planning and development stakeholders can come together to share emerging practices. Further refinement of the research questions, methodological approach and geographical focus of the studentship will be determined by the doctoral student in collaboration with the project supervisors as the project evolves. The successful candidate will be strongly encouraged to take ownership of the project and develop it to suit their skills and interests.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria

  • Applicants will have a good Masters degree (or overseas equivalent) in urban plannning, geography or a related discipline
  • Applicants will have a demonstratable interest in urban planning and the topic under investigation.
  • Applicants should be able to study full-time

Please note that all applicants must also meet the entry requirements for the Urban Studies, PhD

Award details

The scholarship is available as a full-time +3 (3 year) PhD programme only. The programme will commence in October 2024. The funding includes:

  • An annual stipend at the UKRI rate
  • Fees at the standard home rate or International rate
  • Students can also draw on a Research Training Support Grant, usually up to a maximum of £940 per year

Application process

Applicants must apply via the Scholarships Application Portal (please see Scholarships Application Portal – Applicant Guide for more information), uploading the following documentation:

  • URBAN RETROFIT PhD Scholarship application form (in Word format)
  • Academic transcripts (All relevant Undergraduate and Master’s level degree transcripts (and translations, if not originally in English) – provisional transcripts are sufficient if you are yet to complete your degree).
  • Contact details for two referees (where possible your referees should include an academic familiar with your work (within the last 5 years). Both referees can be academics but you may include a work referee, especially if you have been out of academia for more than 5 years). Please note, a CoSS PGR Funding Reference template will be sent to your referees for completion)*.
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV) (academic where applicable)

*Please note that when you enter your referees contact details on the Scholarships Application Portal and send the reference request, your referees are expected to provide their references by the closing date of the Scholarship (below). It is strongly recommended you complete this as soon as possible, as late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Closing Date: 15 July 2024

Selection process

Applications will be assessed by the project team. Shortlisted applicants may be requested to attend an Interview.

All scholarship awards are subject to candidates successfully securing admission to a PhD programme in the School of Social and Political Sciences. Successful applicants will be invited to apply for admission to the relevant PhD programme after they are selected for funding.

Key contact

Professor James White (JamesT.White@glasgow.ac.uk)

Poltimore House Trust – Volunteer Fundraiser

Volunteer Experienced Fundraiser to support the restoration of historic Poltimore House | Poltimore House Trust

Find out more on LinkedIn

Following a devastating fire at Poltimore House, we are urgently seeking an experienced fundraiser to help safeguard the structure of this historic mansion and to work towards its eventual restoration.

What difference will you make?

Our Board incorporates high levels of expertise and experience in construction, heritage, social innovation, communication, landscape design and other disciplines. Despite the recent disaster this is an exciting time to join our leadership team and to make a lasting impact on Poltimore House & Grounds. The House & Grounds are greatly valued by local communities, visitors and our volunteers, as well as by those who love historic buildings. You will not only play a key role in saving an important part of Devon’s heritage but will also help to realise an exciting vision for the future.

What are we looking for?

The ideal applicant will bring significant experience of working with major funding bodies, ideally in the heritage and community sectors, as well as in the field of philanthropic giving.

What will you be doing?

Poltimore House suffered a major fire following an arson attack in the early hours of 9th April 2024. Although much of the interior was destroyed, many of the most important Elizabethan, Tudor and Georgian architectural features remain although they require urgent protection to prevent further loss. The Board of Poltimore House Trust, a registered charity which owns the House and Grounds, is strongly committed to overcoming the major setback resulting from the fire. Unfortunately the House was uninsurable before the fire and our key priority is to secure new funding from grants, philanthropy and other sources. Therefore the Trust is urgently seeking an experienced fundraiser as a full member of its Board to help us safeguard the structure of this important 16th-18th Century mansion and, in due course, to support its restoration as a focal point for the community incorporating the arts, creative business, education, heritage and wellbeing. You will work alongside other Board members and volunteers in developing and delivering a staged recovery plan, leading in turn to a roadmap for the full restoration of the House. The role will involve close liaison with our architects as well as stakeholders such as Historic England, with whom we have a strong relationship.

Desired Skills and Experience

Fundraising research / Bid writing, Fundraising strategy