Historic England Summer School at Lancaster
21 trainees are currently gaining at-risk craft skills while helping to further repair St. Johns church in Lancaster during a five-week summer school run by Historic England as part of their Heritage Building Skills Programme. Following research, which revealed an increasing shortage of skilled crafts people in the heritage sector, Historic England decided to intervene to preserve at-risk craft skills, for example flint making, gauged brickwork and slating. The Heritage Building Skills Programme is an ambitious five-year training and apprenticeships programme in the North of England, running from 2021-2026. The programme aims to reduce shortages in craft skills, improve the condition of Heritage at Risk sites and provide viable career opportunities for young people.
Our site of St. Johns in Lancaster which has significant repair needs and is undergoing an extensive regeneration programme in partnership with local businesses, is lucky to play host to a five-week summer school during which the apprentices get the chance to gain hands-on experience in mixing hot lime mortar, stonemasonry, joinery and more. While the apprentices receive valuable on-site training from master craftspeople, they also assist with much needed roof repairs at St. John’s, such as repairs to high-level masonry.
After fearlessly ascending the scaffolding during torrential Lancaster rain, visiting Kirkby Slate quarry to learn how to split slate and drawing up templates to prepare new dressed stone to replace eroded masonry this group of apprentices will leave the summer school well-prepared for the real world of working in the heritage sector. Alongside their on-site training, the trainees also attend classes at Morecambe College to gain further insight into at-risk heritage crafts.
Experts from Bullen Conservation are delivering the on-site training and their enthusiastic and encouraging support should do much to further encourage the trainees to pursue a career in heritage crafts. CCT’s Regeneration Team is also on hand to offer valuable insights into what unique challenges and joys working at a site like St. Johns involves.
In week three of the programme, at the half-way point, the trainees seem confident and eager to continue their training after the summer school ends and to further specialise in their respective fields. As a conservation charity with an ever-growing portfolio of historic churches, we at CCT understand how vital it is that heritage craft skills continue to be taught and we are grateful and proud to be supporting this crucial intervention by Historic England in the hope to foster a lasting interest in heritage crafts among young people.
Anyone interested in pursuing a career in the heritage sector, whether you are a young person looking to start a career or someone looking to switch lanes, as well as anyone interested in offering heritage apprenticeships and training can find more information on Historic England’s website: https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/training-skills/work-based-training/
Our volunteers and staff at St. Johns are certainly looking forward to seeing this church in much better (and drier) shape after the end of the summer school!