皇家农业学院

Buildings are a direct link to the past – to the people who built them, to the people that lived in them and to economies and societies that produced them.

Course overview

Even the simplest structure encapsulates a huge body of evidence about the past. To protect and steward a building’s heritage requires an understanding of its nature, structure, historic context and significance, the ways in which the building can be legally protected and the conservation tools which are available for its repair and upkeep. It also requires an understanding of how a given structure can be managed for a sustainable future. This includes everything from schemes of interpretation and display, to how visitors can be managed to control potential damage through to how historic buildings can be retrofitted to make them environmentally friendly.

This blending of conservation and management skills lies at the heart of this course and reflects the integrative direction of travel of many historic building professions.

Teaching

The course has three main strands: the first focuses on the investigation and understanding of historic buildings, the second looks at the conservation and preservation of buildings, and the third strand focuses on how historic buildings are managed.

The programme is delivered in Swindon where you will have access to the Historic England Archive and Library, the National Collections Centre and the Swindon Museums. Teaching is based around intensive day-long blocks supported by distance and self-directed learning; you can take the course full-time over one-year or part-time over two to six years, giving you flexibility around your working life.

Careers

Career prospects include:

• Investigation, recording, analysis and protection of historic buildings
• Conservation and restoration of historic buildings
• Management of public engagement with, and access to, historic buildings
• Advising on the interpretation and display of historic buildings
• Development, adaptive reuse and regeneration of historic buildings
• Management of heritage-led regeneration and place shaping.