Women in Conservation

Tuesday 10 March 2026
5.30 - 8.30pm

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 Joanna Williams, artist and 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.

Our venue, a Grade II* listed Georgian building in the heart of Bloomsbury, is the home of the Art Workers' Guild.

Live Stream On YouTube

If you can't make it to London for this event, join our Live Stream. 

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, York Minster and Canterbury Cathedral Studios. 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). Karen is committed to encouraging women to join the field and aspires to be a mentor to them, alongside continuing to develop her own knowledge of lime and decorative plasterwork. 

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.

Joanna Williams

Joanna has been creating unique contemporary ironwork for more than 17 years. She began sculpting with metal during her time at Dartington College of Arts and the National School of Blacksmithing. In 2017, Joanna was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths in recognition of her design skills and technical ability. In 2023 she was awarded the QEST Howdens Scholarship, enabling her to expand and enhance her repertoire of blacksmithing and metal work skills by attending a series of masterclasses in America. Joanna is committed to promote diversity and inclusivity within the craft and shares her knowledge through teaching classes, delivering lectures and mentoring.

Accessibility

There are three steps to the entrance of the building. A temporary ramp is available to use. The ground floor is fully accessible with a permanent ramp into the event hall. There is a disabled toilet available on the ground floor. There is one step into the courtyard. A temporary ramp is available to use for access to the courtyard. 

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

Photos and filming: We may take photos or videos at this event to be used in future promotion, including in print and online. Participants may take photos and short videos for personal use, with permission of the course leader and all other participants in frame. If you want to post on social media, please message SPAB's Comms Team (press@spab.org.uk or @spab1877) for permission. If your material is good, we might ask to share it with our followers.

All bookings are subject to our Terms and Conditions.

Photo credit: Ralph Hodgson.