Context 164 - May 2020

C O N T E X T 1 6 4 : M A Y 2 0 2 0 55 New member profile Jon Millhouse My career in conservation to date has included working for the previous 15 years as part of a small company of planners and architects on a variety of proposals involving listed buildings, conservation areas and the Derwent Valley Mills world heritage site. I am fortunate to be involved in projects from conception, and I particularly enjoy identifying and finding creative ways to restore, re-use or better reveal heritage assets. I have also represented local authorities on heritage-related appeals, and written heritage policies for neighbourhood plans, so I have had some experience of public sector work too. I joined the IHBC as an affiliate in 2011. I looked at the membership criteria and deliberately took a long-term approach. I wanted to educate myself in the different competencies and apply for full membership only when I felt I was ready. During this period, as well as attending CPD seminars and work-based learning, I also tried to think outside the box to further my research. For example, I attended practical courses on lime plasters and mortars, stone masonry and heritage roofing, as well as the RIBA conservation course, where I was the only planner in the room. I have also researched and written a number of articles for Derbyshire Life magazine, banging the drum for historic building conservation, including most recently a look into the lasting legacy of the Strutt family of industrialists on the built environment of the Derwent Valley. Previous articles looked at constructive conservation and the ways in which planning know- how, combined with creativity and sensitivity to older buildings, can create proposals that result in the restoration of a number of historic buildings and an exploration and celebration of Derbyshire’s hidden architectural heritage, including the Sitwell estate of Renishaw Hall near Chesterfield. As a full member of the IHBC I look forward to playing a more active role in the heritage community, getting to know more people who have a shared interest in heritage conservation. I particularly like the fact that the IHBC is a broad church, encompassing various different disciplines and professions. This allows for a broad range of viewpoints and perspectives, and offers the opportunity for learning and collaboration. Jon Millhouse is a new full member of the IHBC. A barn at Highfield Farm, Holbrook, on the Strutt Estate in Derbyshire, before restoration