Context 161 - September 2019

C O N T E X T 1 6 1 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 9 63 Vox pop Ramona Usher Who has been your greatest inspiration? My English/German secondary school teacher, Mrs Quinn. I was inspired by TS Eliot’s ‘The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock’, which I interpreted as dissonance with superficial pursuits. Hence my career in built heritage. Mrs Quinn sat with me and helped me plan my career path when I was 17; I owe her so much. What has been your best idea? To move to the UK from Ireland in 2002. I wanted to practice historic conservation in Ireland, but archaeology tends to be more prevalent for various reasons that I won’t get into here. I only meant to pop over for a year to complete a masters at Oxford Brookes University, but life took me on a weird and wonderful path. What would you like to have been if you had not become a conservationist? An archaeologist. But I realised things above ground are far more interesting that those below the surface. I particularly enjoy the political angle to conservation. I do maintain an interest in archaeology, but not career-wise. How do you reply when at a party someone asks what you do? I simply say ‘I work with old buildings.’ I always find people are fascinated by my job – it’s not a vocation for me, it’s my way of life. What is the biggest frustration in your job? Trying to align the requirements of the building regulations with the significance of listed buildings, particularly in relation to the conversion of Georgian and Victorian buildings from single occupancy to apartments. The essential fire-protection and noise- attenuation measures have led to some creative and lively discussions with the conservation officers. However, we always manage to find a compromise as I have been fortunate to work with some very pragmatic conservation officers. What would you like to be doing in five years’ time? The exact same thing I am doing now. What is your favourite building? Wollaton Hall, Grade I, an Elizabethan hall in Nottingham. I have worked on that building for many years. I love the fact that just outside the bustling city of Nottingham there is this oasis of calm, complete with a deer park. I run about 10 miles around the parkland most Sundays and never tire of the scenery. Your favourite place? If you had asked me that last week I would have said the Isle of Skye. But I have just come back from hiking in the remote highlands of Iceland. The colours, smells, sights and sounds of this volcanic landscape will never leave me, and I am desperate to go back and have all of my senses stimulated again. Your favourite book? I am not going to bring myself down publicly by stating my favourite junk fiction! So on a more professional note it must be John Waddell’s Foundation Myths. I am fascinated by the politicisation of the past to suit nationalistic ideals in all cultures – so much that I completed a PhD on the topic. What do you do in your spare time? Being a feisty Irish lassie, you will usually find me undertaking endurance events like Tough Mudder, mad treks across the world, 50-kilometre hikes in the Peak District and numerous half- marathons. In my downtime I look after my five rescue cats and steer my teenage son through a complicated world. What organisations are you a member of? The IHBC (of course), CIfA, the Twentieth Century Society and the Irish Georgian Society. Which one issue would you particularly like the IHBC to campaign on? The assimilation of the terminology of the National Planning Policy Framework into legislation. Having these two strands of vocabulary is an unnecessarily complication. Ramona Usher is IHBC professional development officer, and a built heritage consultant, lecturer and design review panel member.