Building and Gilding for the Future

Laura Wilkinson

16 February 2007

Students learn core skills in preserving historic buildings within a World Heritage Site

The Greenwich Foundation Learning Programme breaks new ground in the construction industry with a series of heritage craft skills taster days. A set of heritage craft skills taster days involving gilding, stone carving and woodworking have been run at the Old Royal Naval College for students aged between 14 and 16 years who are at the point of making decisions about their future studies. The hands-on workshops offered students a unique experience, learning from some of the leading practitioners and tutors in the field. The Old Royal Naval College is one of this country’s finest examples of Baroque architecture, at the heart of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, and is able to provide the opportunity for the students to see for themselves how the techniques are used in a real life situation.

One of the students involved described the day as “a great experience and opened my eyes to this industry” and a teacher who accompanied the students on another day spoke of the “fantastic venue as pupils can see displays of gilding all around them as they work”.

In partnership with CITB-Construction Skills, David Ball Restoration Ltd and the Building Crafts College the Greenwich Foundation learning team developed this one day programme that includes practical workshops on stone-carving, woodworking and gilding for Year 9 and 10 students. The gilding sessions took place in the Painted Hall itself, which is highly decorated with gold leaf. The workshops targeted those who have an interest in heritage and conservation and are looking towards the creative arts and DT but may not have considered the construction industry as a career choice.

This pioneering project could not have come at a better time as both the industry and those that work to preserve the UK’s heritage are increasingly challenged by the growing skills deficit of highly skilled traditional craftsmen (see Notes to Editors for background information). Following this successful pilot session a further programme of workshops will run in May and October involving a number of other secondary schools within SE London.

Jo Hall from the Greenwich Foundation said “These buildings provide an ideal opportunity for young people to get out of the classroom to see craftsmen at work on outstanding examples of our architectural heritage. It is vital that more people become skilled in these crafts, so that the vast range of historic properties in London and the UK can be maintained and conserved for the future.”
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Issued 16 February 2007
For additional details and images contact Laura Wilkinson, Marketing & Events Manager, Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College: 020 8269 4763 / 07890 314499

Notes to Editors

1. The pilot scheme of taster days took place on 5, 7, 8, 9 February with two more programmes scheduled in for May and October. Each day gives students the opportunity to try three traditional craft skills – stone carving, gilding and woodworking. The sessions are run by craftsmen, and group sizes will not exceed 10 students. The gilding workshop takes place in the Painted Hall. Students from five schools from South East London Boroughs were invited to attend the workshops. Years 9 and 10 were seen as the most appropriate as this practical experience may help the students in making a more informed decision in choosing their GCSE and A-Level subjects.

2. Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College
Following the departure of the Royal Navy in 1997, the Greenwich Foundation signed a 150-year lease to manage the Old Royal Naval College. The Foundation, as a registered charity, conserves, restores and interprets the buildings and their grounds for the benefit of the nation. In 1999 the University of Greenwich became tenants on the site shortly followed by Trinity College of Music in 2001. The Painted Hall, Chapel, Visitor Centre and grounds are open to the public for free seven days a week.
www.oldroyalnavalcollege.org

3. CITB-ConstructionSkills
This industry body provides assistance in all aspects of recruiting, training and qualifying the construction workforce. We also work with partners in industry and government to improve the competitiveness of the industry as a whole.
www.constructionskills.net
4. Building Crafts College
The Building Crafts College, which is now a Government sponsored Centre of Vocational Excellence, was founded in 1893 and is today situated in Stratford. The College provides specialist courses in the principal disciplines of woodworking and stone-masonry.
www.thecarpenterscompany.co.uk

5. David Ball Restoration Ltd
David Ball Restoration Limited (DBR) was established in 1990 to provide a specialist service in response to the growing demand for conservation, repair and maintenance of historic buildings. Its principal clients include English Heritage, Historic Royal Palaces and the Greater London Authority. The projects that it has delivered since its establishment exhibit exemplary standards of workmanship making it one of the leading Conservation specialists in London and the Home Counties. DBR is the main contractor for the care and restoration of the interiors and exteriors of all the buildings within the Old Royal Naval College. www.dbr.uk.com

6. In 2005 the National Heritage Training Group published a report Traditional Building Craft Skills: Assessing the Need, Meeting the Challenge which highlighted the extent of the problem as this skills deficit in traditional craft skills continues to grow and the barriers in attracting people to consider traditional crafts within the construction industry as a career choice. These taster sessions aim to break the common misconceptions that students, and in many cases teachers, parents and careers advisors hold, that the construction industry offers very limited career choice, that it is only suitable for lower achieving students, primarily for boys and that it lacks any career development. This report states that “What generally separates the traditional building sector from the main construction industry is that it generally requires more refined skills and judgements than those used in much of the new-build sector…the approach to historic buildings requires a different mental attitude.”