Blog

Learning has been at the heart of the Old House Project (OHP) since it was launched in 2019. This five-year venture was intended both as an exemplar of conservation best practice and a setting to offer practical training on the skills and materials used in the building’s repair. As a case study demonstrating how the SPAB Approach can be practically applied to turn a historic building at risk into a comfortable home, these lessons are valuable to a wide range of audiences, from craftspeople and conservation professionals to homeowners and caretakers.

Jim Brearley-Ratcliffe, carpenter and 2024 Fellow, shares a snapshot of his journey so far.   

SPAB Chair Duncan McCallum finds lessons from the past in the SPAB Archive. 

When it comes to old buildings, sustainability is about so much more than energy-efficiency. Find out why this inspiring community project won our 2022 Sustainable Heritage Award.

Chloe Chambers, 2024 SPAB Scholar, shares the highlights of a recent site visit – and what it's really like to plaster with cow dung!

Guardians are volunteers who offer their time, expertise and advice to help the charity do the best work it possibly can. With applications now open for 2025, we caught up with some of our current Guardians to find out why they first got involved.  

It's Volunteer Week! Meet one of our incredible volunteers, Mark Murthwaite-Price, who keeps the lime kiln at our Old House Project burning all year round. 

Ellie Jae Dobson, bricklayer and 2024 Fellow, shares a snapshot of her journey so far. 

Ahead of National Mills Weekend, we caught up with Daniel Cheetham, carpenter and 2023 SPAB Millwright Fellow, to hear about the next steps in his journey with this endangered craft. 

What have you been up to since you finished the Fellowship in December? 

At the end of 2023, minor revisions to the consent for the Old House Project (OHP) were approved by Maidstone Council. This cleared the way for the remainder of work to proceed in 2024. Still left to complete are an opening and ancillary structures at the east end, new services including solar panels and a heat pump, internal works including insulation and secondary glazing, and landscaping and boundary work to fulfil a planning condition. The last phase of repair to the exterior, at the end of 2023, involved the installation of windows.