The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings

DATE: 7 - 11 October 2013

VENUE: St Andrew Holborn, London, EC4A 3AB

FEE: £750
Refunds will not be made in the event of booking cancellations less than two weeks before the course.
Includes one night accommodation (Wednesday), meals, transport and insurance during the site visits only. 
The course fee does not include accommodation, transport and meals in London.
The fee also includes one year individual membership to the SPAB - more information about this will be available once your booking has been confirmed.


This popular short course has been presented by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings since the 1950s. 
Run over five days, this course delivers AN INTENSIVE PROGRAMME OF LECTURES AND SITE VISITS to building repair projects. 

Presented by leading building conservation professionals, the Repair Course considers British and international approaches to the conservation of old buildings. 
The SPAB philosophy of repair and maintenance - established by William Morris in 1877 - underpins the course programme of case studies, presentations and site visits.

Please note: there may be scaffolding to climb on some sites. 
Hard hats will be provided, but delegates will need to be prepared with steel toe-capped footwear and suitable clothing.


FOR MORE INFORMATION about the course, including a sample programme, visit our Repair Course page.
The Repair of Old Buildings Course is recognised by the IHBC for CPD, and the RIBA for Advanced CPD.

BOOK ONLINE or download the BOOKING FORM to be completed and returned with payment to the SPAB.
When booking online, please provide the full delegate name with job title/occupation and organisation name. 
Please also let us know if the delegate has any special dietary or access requirements.


'The discussions/site visits made me think about philosophy - my own and in relation to projects. Some lectures were directly relevant to my work and this gave me food for thought in relation to these topics.'
Conservation Officer - May 2013 Repair Course

'The broadness of the overview of the course, the visits and the lecture topics were great. The opportunity to discuss the various topics, projects and approaches with others from such a variety of professions was also very useful.'
Architect - May 2013 Repair Course

'It was a great course – the best CPD I have ever attended. It is already making a huge difference to my everyday work.'
Architect - October 2012 Repair Course

'The immersion into conservation was total and there was a real sense of emerging a different practitioner at the end of the week!'
Architect - October 2012 Repair Course

Following the success of the 2012 masterclasses the SPAB is delighted to continue in partnership with Historic Royal Palaces to run further masterclasses in 2013. 
The masterclasses are likely to meet Continuing Professional Development requirements for those who are professionally involved with buildings (e.g. architects, surveyors, engineers, planners, builders, contractors, craftsmen and women). 

Repair of Cut & Rubbed Chimneys Masterclass

DATE: 31 October 2013

VENUE: Hampton Court Palace, Surrey, KT8 9AU

FEE: £150
Refunds will not be made in the event of booking cancellations less than two weeks before the course.
The fee includes refreshments and lunch.

COURSE LEADER: Emma Simpson - brickwork conservation specialist with over 20 years of knowledge and expertise in this field.


The aim of this masterclass is to understand how 'cut and rubbed' chimneys are built and repaired using the example of the conservation project at Hampton Court Palace - Cardinal Wolsey's chimney stack.
Delegates will also gain experience of practical techniques by direct hands-on work. Places on the masterclass are limited to allow for small group sizes.

Topics that will be covered during the masterclass are:

 - Dismantling and re-building techniques.
 - Cutting new shapes.
 - Cutting and rubbing.
 - How do we make a replacement mould?
 - How do we lay 'cut and rubbed' brickwork?

Please note: delegates will need to be prepared with steel toe-capped footwear and suitable clothing; all other PPE will be provided on the day.


BOOK ONLINE or download the BOOKING FORM to be completed and returned with payment to the SPAB.
When booking online, please provide the full delegate name with job title/occupation and organisation name.
Please also let us know if the delegate has any special dietary or access requirements.

Treating Dampness in Old Buildings: current SPAB thinking - Short Seminar

DATE: 19 September 2013

TIME: 2.45 - 5pm

VENUE: The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, 37 Spital Square, London, E1 6DY

FEE: £35
Refunds will not be made in the event of booking cancellations less than two weeks before the course.


Dampness can be the biggest enemy of old buildings, but all too often even greater harm is inflicted on old buildings by inappropriate remedial treatments. The various forms of dampness require different solutions, and the approach adopted for treating problems in traditional (pre-1919) buildings differs from that adopted as standard for their most recent counterparts. 

Similarly, the differences in the construction of traditional buildings compared to modern ones and, consequently, the methods and materials suitable for avoiding dampness has complications when undertaking alterations - including energy efficiency improvements, a highly topical area.

This short seminar will consider a conservative approach that not only aims to cure or manage dampness, but retains (rather than inadvertently helps destroy) the special interest of older buildings. Led by Douglas Kent, SPAB Technical and Research Director, this short seminar will be suitable for building conservation professionals and owners of old properties. The event is recognised by the IHBC for CPD.

Topics to be covered include:

• Crucial differences in the varying construction and performance of traditional buildings, compared to more modern buildings (informed by the Society's current and ongoing research activities).

• Signs, symptoms and causes of dampness, including whether or not 'rising damp' really exists.

• Effective diagnosis of dampness, including the extent to which it is important to maintain 'breathability'; the unintended harm frequently arising from standard damp-proofing or tanking; and the pros and cons of French drains.

• Avoiding dampness problems when altering old buildings, especially condensation as a result of measures to improve their energy efficiency.

BOOK ONLINE or download the BOOKING FORM to be completed and returned with payment to the SPAB.
When booking online, please provide the full delegate name with job title/occupation and organisation name.

Following the success of the 2012 masterclasses the SPAB is delighted to continue in partnership with Historic Royal Palaces to run further masterclasses in 2013. 
The masterclasses are likely to meet Continuing Professional Development requirements for those who are professionally involved with buildings (e.g. architects, surveyors, engineers, planners, builders, contractors, craftsmen and women). 

Metalwork Conservation: Tijou Unravelled

DATE: 12 September 2013

VENUE: Hampton Court Palace, Surrey, KT8 9AU

FEE: £150
Refunds will not be made in the event of booking cancellations less than two weeks before the course.
The fee includes refreshments and lunch.

The aim of this masterclass is to understand more about the decay, specification and conservation of metalwork using Jean Tijou's work at Hampton Court Palace as an example. This masterclass will be presented by experts in the field of conservation, architecture and metalworking. Delegates will also gain experience of practical techniques by direct hands-on work.

Topics that will be covered during the masterclass are:

 - Overview of Tijou at Hampton Court Palace, including a walking tour.
 - Case studies to illustrate the decay, specification and conservation of metalwork.
 - Workshop demonstration of repousse metalworking technique.
 - On site review of decay mechanisms and repair to the Tijou screens.
 - Hands-on introduction to forging.

Please note: delegates will need to be prepared with steel toe-capped footwear and suitable clothing; all other PPE will be provided on the day.


BOOK ONLINE or download the BOOKING FORM to be completed and returned with payment to the SPAB.
When booking online, please provide the full delegate name with job title/occupation and organisation name.
Please also let us know if the delegate has any special dietary or access requirements.