Angel Award recognises traditional trades

Every year ancient and historic buildings are rescued from dereliction and disuse, by extraordinary people willing to raise funds, work on restoration projects and give their time to the upkeep and maintenance of these buildings so they can be enjoyed by future generations. To recognise this work English Heritage Angel Awards are co funded by the Andrew Lloyd Weber Foundation.

English Heritage Angel Award categories cover all kinds of buildings and projects, from industrial to church buildings and everything in between. This year the Award for the category of Best Craftsmen Onsite was won by the Smythe Barn built in approximately 1580.

The restoration of the barn involved the hard work and dedication of a small team of experienced builders insurance holders and architects insurance holders as well as craftsmen and artisans. The core restoration team includes John Forge who is experienced in all the traditional trades, Peter Massey experienced in framework carpentry, and Martin Horne who is a qualified stonemason.

This core team of experts has been working on the building for the past three years. The project has attracted visitors from all over the world and will provide a legacy for future generations. If you are interested in finding out more about heritage at risk and this year’s Angel Awards the ‘Heritage at Risk’ campaign pages are full of information, including information on how to look after heritage buildings at risk of dereliction and disrepair.

Are you skilled in working on heritage buildings?
Are we doing enough support traditional trades, such as working with ancient oak timbers and stone?
What’s your experience of working on heritage buildings?