Context 151 - September 2017

C O N T E X T 1 5 1 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7 47 Vox pop Hilary Wyatt Who has been your greatest inspiration? I am always impressed by polymaths, but unfortunately they are an endangered species; perhaps the polymaths of the built environment are those early civil engineers, from Smeaton onwards, who not only used their ingenuity to overcome the physical limitations of contemporary construction methods, but also designed structures which often exemplify the relationship between architectural form and function. As a teenager with a strong interest in boats, I was influenced by Clare Francis’ accounts of long- distance sailing, particularly her solo Atlantic crossing. In my twenties I got into coastal sailing, and eventually crossed the Atlantic myself as part of a delivery crew. What has been your best idea? I am very pleased I chose Cardiff’s new sustainable conservation course in 2012. At that point, I had had several years experience as a surveyor, dealing mainly with 18th- and 19th-century properties, and I was waiting for a course like this to be available. On completion of my MSc dissertation (‘An introduction to historic marine infrastructure in exposed tidal harbours: construction, plan form, materials and repair in the inter-tidal zone, with reference to the storms of 2013–14’), I realised that historic tidal harbours were really under-investigated.When Cardiff advertised its funded PhD studentship, it seemed like a great opportunity. What would you like to have been if you had not become a conservationist? What I was prior to being a conservationist: a film editor designing sound for TV, animation, commercials and feature films. As a job, I liked the mix of creative inventiveness, technical problem-solving and team- work it requires, but it is not very family friendly. After 20 years in the industry I wanted a new challenge, and was interested in historic buildings. Initially I trained as a surveyor, as I wanted to understand buildings constructionally.While not an end in itself, the time I spent as a surveyor, and on site, has proved invaluable since. How do you reply when at a party someone asks what you do? I try not to mention the surveying bit, otherwise I get asked to look at their rising damp. What is the biggest frustration in your job? Since retraining, and working in a local authority, I have been disappointed how sectoral building conservation can be. There are lots of reasons for this, not least increasing technical specialisation, but there are so many opportunities for better outcomes where technically trained professionals and design-focused professionals work integratively, with an informed understanding of each other’s approach. I think trainers and organisations such as the IHBC can play a positive part, for example by encouraging topic- centred, multi-disciplinary CPD with other professional bodies. Not only would this raise the importance of building conservation within other professional groups, it would also encourage informed decision-making around issues which are not part of core conservation training, but which are likely to have a fundamental effect on the historic built environment. In my own field, the historic development of harbours and the conservation of tidal structures can not be fully understood without considering the impact of factors such as coast processes (such as wind, wave and tide), climate change, coastal and structural engineering, sustainability, development, environmental protection, maritime law, navigational safety and marine licensing. I hope my own research will play a small part in encouraging a multi-disciplinary approach to coastal heritage. What would you like to be doing in five years time? Recovering from my PhD, writing and, hopefully, working with coastal heritage. What is your favourite building? The Royal WilliamYard, Plymouth, by Sir John Rennie. It is a remarkable victualling yard built around 1825,