10 July 2017
The SPAB William Morris Travelling Craft Fellowship
HWG joint Director, and stained glass conservator, Jack Clare is currently more than half way through his Fellowship year with the SPAB (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings).
Established in 1987, the Fellowship is a prestigious course specifically aimed at craftspeople involved with traditional crafts and conservation of historic buildings, including stonemasons/carvers, woodcarvers and joiners, plasterers, thatchers, flintknappers, glaziers, painters, and leadworkers, among others. The course runs parallel to the SPAB’s Scholarship programme. Its aim is to equip each generation of outstanding craftspeople with a wider knowledge and expertise to pass on. This encompasses a deeper understanding of all historic building materials, and a heightened awareness of the philosophy and ethics of conservation, which in turn equips the student with the skills necessary to lead and manage historic building contracts. This is achieved by travelling the length and breadth of Great Britain, and sometimes further afield, meeting with architects and building surveyors, structural architects, past Fellow and Scholars, and visiting many craft workshops. Having the opportunity to speak and learn so intimately, from experts in the field over an intense year of visits, is something that will remain with and benefit the SPAB Fellow throughout their working life.
Here is a little about Jack’s experience so far:-
“The Fellowship has helped enormously in my understanding of other crafts and conservation practices. We have met some amazingly skilled craftsmen and seen the broad range of labour-intensive disciplines that go into the upkeep of our nation’s historic buildings. The network of enthusiastic people surrounding the SPAB has been a constant source of support and encouragement along the way, and the generosity of hosts overwhelming”.
