Women in Conservation *Live Stream*

Tuesday 10 March 2026
6 - 8pm 

We are hosting a special event to celebrate women in conservation and timing it in recognition of International Women's Day in March.

Join us for a unique panel discussion, led by award-winning sculptor Nina Bilbey, as we consider the creativity, skills, ambitions and barriers faced by women working in the historic built environment. 

We are delighted to welcome Helen Bower, stained glass conservator, Karen Skeats, lime plasterer, Claire Vidler, building conservator, and Matty Thearle, blacksmith, to our panel for an evening of insight and inspiration into what it means to be a woman in conservation.

• 5.30pm doors open and drinks will be served.
• 6pm the conversation will start.
• There will be an opportunity for our panel to take questions from the audience.
• 8pm end of Q&As; drinks served.
• 8.30pm end of event. 

Advanced booking is recommended as we expect this event will sell out. We welcome anyone interested in learning from these women in conservation, for general interest or to inspire your own career. A concession price is available for students, people who are unwaged or on low income. There is no eligibility criteria, these discounts are available for anyone who needs them. This is a trust based system, we do not require proof or even an explanation of the rate you choose.

Panel

Nina Bilbey, Panel Chair

Nina is an award-winning sculptor, teacher, and mentor with over 30 years of experience. Based in Norfolk, she runs a successful studio on the Holkham Estate and teaches at the City & Guilds of London Art School. Her work appears on heritage buildings across the UK, including statues of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at Canterbury Cathedral. She co-founded the Abraxas Stone Carving Academy and hosts the podcast The Stone Carving and Lettering Takeaway. In 2018, she received the City & Guilds Gold Medal of Excellence. Nina will lead restoration of Temple Church’s West Door and recently installed a commemorative LGBT+ sculpture at the National Memorial Arboretum. We’re thrilled to welcome her back for our 2026 Women in Conservation panel.

Helen Bower

Helen is a stained-glass conservator and SPAB Fellow (2001). Helen began work at Norgrove Studios, continuing at the V&A and York Minster. With over 25 years’ experience, she teaches stained glass and glass painting at Wolds Heritage Workshops and coordinated an eight-year volunteer project to create a 35m long mosaic church pathway. Helen expanded her experience into digital documentation, website development, historical research and producing conservation reports during her time at Holy Well Glass. Now self-employed, Helen creates bespoke commissions, exhibiting for the second time at York Open Studios in April 2026. Helen’s love of colour, pattern, and process is beautifully demonstrated in the work she produces, blending artistry, education, and a deep belief in the value of hands-on heritage skills.

Karen Skeats

Karen is a lime plasterer based in and around Bristol. Having originally trained with Carrington Lime, she then completed the King’s Foundation Building Craft Programme. Karen has worked with a variety of conservation teams as well as taken on independent projects both internally and externally. Recent projects include re-plastering an entire 16th century cottage in Wiltshire, conserving old plasterwork in a cider barn in Malvern, and patch-repairing a harled lime render finish on a 14th century church in Gloucestershire; all using hot lime mixes (her preferred type of lime to use) and designing and creating a decorative fireplace using lime plaster. She is committed to encouraging and supporting women to join the field and aspires to be a mentor to them and has particularly enjoyed training up her sister recently to assist on projects. Karen is a Freeman with the Worshipful Company of Plaisterers and continues to develop her own knowledge of lime, decorative plasterwork and scagliola.

Claire Vidler

Claire is a Canterbury-based building conservator whose work centres on the study and preservation of traditional timber framing and vernacular architecture. With an MA in Conservation Architecture and an MSc in Timber Frame Building Conservation, her award-winning research explores domestic wall paintings and evolving conservation principles. Claire's practice integrates hands-on craft with academic insight, and she has worked on landmark sites including Canterbury Cathedral and Westminster Palace. Claire lectures for the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum and serves on the Carpenters Fellowship Board, where she edits the Mortice and Tenon magazine. Committed to sustaining endangered skills, Claire has advanced recognition and training in traditional hewing. She will take up a Guardian role with SPAB’s Education and Training Committee in 2026.

Matty Thearle

Matty’s lifelong interest in blacksmithing and all things creative led them to studying a degree in Artist Blacksmithing at Hereford College of Arts, where they focused on making small scale, functional and tactile pieces, often inspired by the potential for diversity in craft to build community and encourage innovation. Having graduated in 2024, they are now working at Ironart of Bath, where their interest in heritage ironwork conservation has taken off. Matty is currently part of the team conserving two sets of gates from Sherborne Abbey and a 1920s canopy from the Corridor shopping arcade in Bath, and is keen to continue studying and improving their practice.

IT requirements

The live stream will be presented via a private link. It will be recorded and available until 24 March via the link. You will need internet connection and a computer, phone or device that can play video and audio. You will receive the joining link the day before the event. 

Accessibility

Anything we can do to make this event more accessible for you? Please email education@spab.org.uk.

All bookings are subject to our Terms and Conditions.

Photo credit: Ralph Hodgson.