As head of buildings for the largest building conservation organisation in Europe, I’m often asked what the job entails. Whether the question comes from casual or professional curiosity, I find the assumptions behind it are generally that the National Trust has pots of money provided by government, which it spends on the conservation of Downton Abbey-style mansions under the indulgent eyes of surveyors who never set foot in anything less than a grade II-listed property.
Although it’s true that we spend a lot of time and money conserving some of the finest historic buildings in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, we can’t afford to do everything that needs to be done. And the Trust is a charity that relies on the goodwill and generosity of people, not the government. We employ more than 5,000 staff who are supported by 50,000 volunteers and 4 million members, and our sites welcome many millions of visitors a year.
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Mansions are a relatively small part of our portfolio: we look after about 300 of them. Altogether, we’re responsible for more than 28,000 buildings and structures whose histories span a period of about 800 years. They include 57 entire villages, over 5,000 cottages (some tenanted, some used as holiday homes), farms, bridges and lighthouses. Many are listed, or scheduled ancient monuments, nearly all are located in stunning settings that are often also protected, and many are open
all year round.
In addition to building conservation, a significant amount of our work relates to new-build projects such as visitor centres and farm buildings.
We are proud of our reputation as innovators in sustainability, and our project management framework ensures that this is built into all of our schemes. We were one of the first organisations to use solar roof slates in the UK when, in 2005, we incorporated them into the refurbishment of Kynance Cove café in Cornwall, surely one of the most beautiful coastal locations in the country. We now have hundreds of examples of sustainable technology in our buildings and structures, typically including biomass boilers, solar photovoltaics, and ground and air-source heat pumps. This work is all organised by our Building Surveyors, who are kept abreast of the latest developments through our extensive training programme.
Kynance Cove café on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall, pictured before the makeover that fitted it with solar roof slates, and (below) the refit in progress
It is indeed a privilege to work within this environment – particularly for anyone passionate about heritage – but, as with all buildings, much of our time involves dealing with day-to-day repairs such as leaking roofs, defective gutters and drainage problems. Hardly the noble embodiment of history that we generally share with our visitors!
Staying open and serving our many constituencies are primary goals, especially now that we’re upgrading much of our estate. This process is partly driven by changes in the law governing residential lets – by 2018, all of our cottages will have to be brought up to EPC Level E when they’re vacant in order to be
re-let. We have released millions of pounds from our reserves to deal with the most urgent cases. As a result, a typical Building Surveyor will now have to project manage the renovation of several cottages each year, including the production of drawings and specifications.
As the Trust is such a huge and complex beast, it has a pressing need to harmonise its IT systems. This includes the upgrade of the property system that is intended to enable surveyors and other advisory and property staff to monitor the progress of maintenance and project works, raise orders, pay invoices and receive reminders of when work is due.
All Building Surveyors join an organisation with a certain amount of construction knowledge and understanding that they improve upon over time. The big difference for Trust surveyors is that they also need to build up an awareness of conservation principles and legislation, and acquire experience of traditional building methods. We ensure that they gain this awareness within a short time of
starting, and we have a “Spirit of Place” induction process that is integral to the Trust’s ethos.
And this is where the Trust comes into its own. I’m confident that our training and development programme is at least as good as any other conservation organisation in the world. I believe that the courses available to our staff – internal and external – provide first-class opportunities to learn from experts in the field. I have been in my role for 13 years, and the breadth of knowledge within the organisation never fails to amaze me – and all of our experts are keen to pass on that knowledge and experience.
We also have Assistant Surveyor posts, which we use as a means of “growing our own”. This is an important strategy, since we can’t afford to the same salaries as large construction companies, nor can we expect the diversity of our work always to make up for this. By nurturing new Building Surveyors, we’re able to provide them with the requisite specialist skills in conservation and a route into a rewarding career with the Trust.
I hope this resumé of the work of our Building Surveyors provides an insight into life at the National Trust. The role of a Trust surveyor is challenging, but it is also extremely rewarding – you need only think of your favourite Trust properties to know why.
Being responsible for maintaining and conserving some of the UK’s most treasured historic buildings and structures is more than a job, but, happily, it is our job. If you would like to make it yours, take a look at www.nationaltrustjobs.org.uk/our_places/surveying to find out more.
Rory Cullen is head of buildings at the National Trust
Lords of all they survey
One of our regional lead building surveyors is Paul Wankiewicz (pictured), who is based at Hardwick Hall in the Midlands. He plays a pivotal role advising on technical issues, standards, training and development for a team of 15 Building Surveyors across the region. He also works on national and even international projects, including the development of the recently launched European Conservation Accreditation scheme. Paul has become a key adviser regionally and nationally for more than 150 directly employed craftsmen and women, including more than 30 apprentices.
Another stalwart is Peter Bee, a Senior Building Surveyor based in Cornwall. He started his career with us when he was 19 and has stayed for 35 years. His portfolio covers west Cornwall and includes two mansions, 12 farms, 50 tenanted cottages, 20 holiday cottages as well as many Cornish engine houses used in the copper mining industry, and included in the Botallack World Heritage Site.
Emily Rimmer started in her role three years ago after completing an MA in Conservation Studies in Historic Building at the University of York. She will shortly gain her professional qualification, after which there will be opportunities to progress to a Building Surveyor role. Her portfolio covers the West Wycombe and Bradenham Estates in Buckinghamshire, where she has worked on conservation projects up to a value of £100,000.
