Traditional Building Skills in the North West
Historic buildings are special. A wealth of traditional skills went in to their construction. They use different materials and building techniques to modern buildings, so their repair draws on an array of specialist crafts techniques. It’s vital that these skills are passed on so buildings can be repaired with the skill and attention they deserve and in ways which don't harm them.
On this page:
How we're promoting training in traditional skills
Timber, terracotta, clay dabbins and stone slate roofing are just some of the traditional materials characteristic of the North West.
Tradespeople say they find historic buildings highly rewarding to work on. Historic England North West is promoting training in traditional building skills to help the next wave of heritage workers to learn about how they can get involved in these specialisms and get skilled-up.
The following web pages provide useful information:
- Historic England training – we run a wide range of courses where you can learn about different aspects of working in the historic environment. Have a look at our pages on Heritage Skills and Continuing Professional Development, training opportunities for contractors and craftspeople and gaining practical skills to work on historic buildings with Traditional Building Bursaries.
- National Heritage Training Group - upcoming training, events and bursaries.
- Heritage Craft Alliance - information on courses, apprenticeships, qualifications and up-skilling.
- The Construction Industry Training Board (known as CITB) for information on working across the construction sector, including developing skills for heritage buildings.
- The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) for training opportunities and information on the wide range of jobs in heritage, from thatcher to engineer.
- The Institute of Historic Building Conservation is the professional body for conservation work and offers guidance on working in the sector.
How including traditional skills training could help your grant application
If you are applying for a Historic England grant, have you thought about adding value to the repair project by incorporating an element of traditional building skills training?
Please see our leaflet 'Traditional Building Skills: preserving the knowledge' for information and ideas on how you can do this and where you can find out more, as well as our web page Building Skills and Training in to Conservation Projects.
