Supporting ‘Conservation on the Road’ with English Heritage 2022

The 'Conservation on the Road' scheme aims to engage visitors at sites undergoing conservation projects around the country and inspire all generations to consider careers in the heritage and construction industries.

Like last year, the ‘Conservation in action’ van is travelling to various English Heritage sites throughout the summer until October, providing a host of hands-on conservation workshops for all ages.

Dates and locations

The van will be visiting English Heritage sites at Hardwick Old Hall: 8–12 August, Lincoln Medieval Bishops’ Palace: 22-25 August and Orford Castle (dates tbc).

For more information, visit the English Heritage website.

It is a privilege for Sir Robert McAlpine Special Projects to support English Heritage with this initiative again this year, and continue to promote traditional skills across the country. ‘Conservation on the Road’ introduces visitors to the heritage work that is needed for the preservation of our historic buildings. It has the potential to inspire the next generation of skilled trades and perfectly aligns with our vision of proudly building Britain’s future heritage.

Mike Coleman Operations Director, Sir Robert McAlpine Special Projects

A visit to Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens

Our Carlisle Citadels project team, together with Sir Robert McAlpine Special Projects, attended a workshop at Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens recently. The Hall is currently undergoing crucial conservation work to restore the building for years to come. It was the perfect opportunity for the team to experience some hands-on heritage work.

The visit included an introduction to Belsay and insights into the current conservation project, a tour of the building and a chance to take part in some of the activities offered by the ‘Conservation in action’ van.  

Mark Robson, Sir Robert McAlpine Project Manager, said:

“This visit was insightful and very hands on. I think it really helped reinforce the project team’s understanding around the level of planning and advanced consultation with English Heritage which is required when you are restoring historic buildings. Much of what we saw and discussed during the visit has a large overlap with the works which are planned to take place on the Carlisle Citadels Grade 1 and 2 listed assets. This is going to be a very exciting project and we are all very proud to be part of it.”