A Passion for Tradition: keeping traditional building skills alive.

The Talk:

The evening will start with a short introduction into the craft of historic building conservation. It will highlight the decline of traditional crafts with an emphasis on how these historic skills are crucial for the appropriate regeneration of historic buildings.

Additionally, and with regard to the wider climate crisis, traditional crafts can help to improve the function and performance of historic buildings, minimising their impact on the environment and contrary to the belief that older buildings have particularly bad energy efficiency.

Although these skills are often perceived as hard to find, the introduction will be followed by two local craftspeople who regularly work with traditional buildings.

Introduction by Vicky Flintoff:

Vicky started her career as an interior architectural designer in Wakefield but has always had an underlying interest in historic buildings. Following a visit to a historic area and a local tour, she became aware of various careers in the sector and as such decided to enrol on a masters degree in historic building conservation at York. Since then Vicky has worked at the North York Moors National Park within the planning and building conservation teams whilst volunteering for several amenity societies focused on heritage, research and the need to train people in local crafts before these skills are lost. As such Vicky spends many weekends exploring historic places and poking old walls.

Vicky is also a member of Wakefield Civic Society's Executive Committee.

Heritage Building Specialists by Lee Gillard (The Yorkshire Lime Company):

The Yorkshire Lime Company is an award winning team of skilled craftsmen specialising in the restoration of heritage and traditional buildings using only locally sourced and often recycled all-natural materials throughout Yorkshire. Adhering to the S.P.A.B approach, the company prioritises necessary repairs, utilising like-for-like local materials and relevant expertise to achieve the highest standards in their work.

Their passion for the craft is evident in the dedication that they bring to all their services. Formerly operating as Gillard’s Building Services they won the Corporate Live Wire Yorkshire Prestige Award for Building Company of the Year (2020-22). Building upon the momentum of their success and reputation, the company transitioned to focus exclusively on showcasing their craftsmanship on heritage buildings, undergoing a rebranding to underscore their commitment to this important sector whilst expanding their clientele.

These achievements have been recognised by various organisations and they have been awarded first place in the SME Business Elite awards and also the IE 100 awards for best building conservation company in Yorkshire 2024.

Their skilled team, boasting a wealth of experience, ensures customer satisfaction on every project. Their expertise in heritage buildings and traditional construction techniques makes them a vital asset in preserving the rich architectural legacy for future generations. Their advocacy for the protection of historic buildings solidifies them as a crucial voice in safeguarding these irreplaceable treasures and was a pivotal component of their decision to concentrate solely in this area.

Decorative Plasterwork by Keith Langton (K L Langton Decorative Plasterwork Ltd):

Keith is a journeyman with 46yrs in the trade and most of that in the heritage sector. His company covers all aspects of lime plasterwork including lath & plaster plus full renovation & restoration works. They also offer ‘fibrous plasterwork services’, both new & ‘repairs to historic works’. Currently they are tendering for the Dewsbury Arcade plaster renovation package. They are a small company, based in Yorkshire, covering the whole of the UK & also working abroad.

The event:

This talk will be presented in the Kingswood Suite at Wakefield Town Hall, Wood Street, Wakefield, WF1 2HQ, starting promptly at 7.30pm. (Doors open at 7pm.)

The event is free to attend and is open to all who are interested in the subject matter.

A live stream option will also be available for anyone unable to attend in person. When selecting your tickets, please make sure you select either an 'in person' ticket if you wish to come to the Town Hall, or a 'live stream' ticket if you wish to watch on-line via Zoom. A link to the talk will be emailed to you on the day of the event.

This talk is being presented as part of Wakefield's Our Year 2024 and is one of a number of aspirational series of talks and events being arranged by the Society as part of its 60th anniversary year.

Host or Publisher Wakefield Civic Society