Context 161 - September 2019

58 C O N T E X T 1 6 1 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 9 58 New member profile Sophie Cattier My first job in the heritage sector was as a historic properties steward at Audley End House for the English Heritage Trust. It was a fantastic way to start. I got to know the house and gardens in detail and gave tours to its visitors, getting them engaged and interested in its story.Working at this wonderful Jacobean house, it was hard not to fall in love with architecture and designed landscapes. From there I joined Historic England. Since 2013 I have worked in various different roles, which have enabled me to work with a broad range of buildings and projects. I have been involved with heritage action zones, providing advice on development proposals, and on grant-aiding the repair of buildings and monuments on our heritage-at-risk register. I am surrounded by fantastically knowledgeable and passionate people who are all too happy to share their experience and enthusiasm. Being in this environment encouraged me to pursue my career in heritage by learning. I completed a certificate in historic building conservation with Cambridge University, which explored the different philosophies of conservation, and surrounding legislation and policy. This in turn directly informed my approach to applications for the listed building consent or planning applications I dealt with as assistant inspector of historic buildings and areas. As assistant inspector I covered the whole of the east of England, which gave me the opportunity to deal with a very wide variety of historic places, landscape and building traditions, and conservation issues. I have worked on some amazing buildings and sites, such as the atomic bomb store at Barnham in Suffolk, which not only has a controversial history but presented complicated conservation issues. The site was constructed early in the cold war to house the UK’s first atomic bomb, codenamed Blue Danube. The buildings needed extensive repair, which sparked debate about how to repair historic concrete structures while conserving their significance. I joined the IHBC because it is the recognised organisation that can provide me with a professional accreditation, and it is respected by those in my sector. I joined as an affiliate member and started looking at how I could become an associate. Initially the application felt daunting and I thought I might not have the experience the IHBC was looking for, but I attended a MATE session in London with colleagues who were also looking at upgrading their membership. We were given helpful advice from those who had successfully gained membership on how to approach the application form, after which we were split into four smaller groups to discuss the individual competencies. It was a fantastic opportunity to talk through my experience with members and bounce ideas off colleagues. I can not emphasise how much more positive I felt about the application after leaving the MATE session. I subsequently submitted my application and was successful in upgrading my membership to associate, and the committee has provided helpful feedback on what areas of CPD to focus on when I apply to become a full member. Sophie Cattier is a new associate member of the IHBC. Audley End House, built in about 1605–14 by Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk on the site of Walden Abbey