Our Built Heritage

Alexis Nicolaidis
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This podcast is for anyone interested in historic buildings. This could be a traditional cottage, a Victorian terrace, a Georgian manor house or even a stately home. Whether it is listed or not, they are all special and interesting and part of Our Built Heritage. Each episode I will be talking to experts in their field who work in the heritage-built environment or own a traditional or listed property. We will be debunking myths, talking about how best to work with your traditional property and top tips.

  1. 21 JAN

    S5. Ep 9. In conversation with Paul Mowbray, a Scottish award-winning craftsperson and artist who specialises in fine art, sculpture, wood carving and applied art.

    In this episode I am joined by Paul Mowbray, a Scottish award-winning craftsperson and artist who specialises in fine art, sculpture, wood carving and applied art. He has a comprehensive knowledge of the decorative arts, as well as a professional career working on many highly skilled craftsmanship projects and has crafted ornate decorationfor many renowned historic buildings. Paul has also featured in Country Life, The Guardian, The Times and Scottish Field magazine to name a few, and some of his decorative projects have featured on More4 and the BBC.   Paul shares his journey into the industry and how his interests started at an early age and grew as his skills developed working with some incredible mentors and how some of his work ended up in America. It is inspiring how his hard work and dedication led him to work on some amazing projects in a multitude of disciplines. We talk about the importance of understanding the provenance of a piece and how it was crafted and thereforehow it should be cared for so that it remains relevant in today’s world. Paul and I talk about training opportunities, and the lack of them in some cases and how hard it can be to find opportunities to gain hands on experience but also some top tips. We also discuss the usual challenges, common themes andmisconceptions working in the heritage sector along with top tips when working with an older property. It will be an interesting listen for anyone embarking on aproject and is looking for some guidance and anyone generally interested in older properties.

    1h 13m

  2. 14 JAN

    S5. Ep 8. In conversation with Jim Whitson, owner and blacksmith at The Blazing Blacksmith.

    In this episode I am joined by Jim Whitson, owner and blacksmith at The Blazing Blacksmith based in Peebles. Theethos of the Blazing Blacksmith has always been to give clients the choice to enrich their homes, gardens and lives with innovative and exciting work which is created to suit their practical requirements whilst being sympathetic to thesetting of the piece. Whether it is a practical piece or purely sculptural Jim strives to create work which is individual and striking. We talk about how Jim became a blacksmith, the training he undertook and how he approaches a project and thevariety in the work he is commissioned to produce. From things like strawberries to gates and anything in between. We also discuss the usual challenges, common themes andmisconceptions working in the heritage sector along with top tips when working with an older property. It will be an interesting listen for anyone embarking on aproject and is looking for some guidance and anyone generally interested in older properties.

    59 min

  3. 7 JAN

    S5. Ep 7. In conversation with Angela Nicholls, a historian and published author.

    In this episode I am joined by Angela Nicholls, a historianand published author whose interest lies in the provision of housing for the poor in early modern England, in particular the nature and variety of post-Reformation almshouses from the 16th century onwards. Angela’s book “Almshouses in Early Modern England”, addresses a neglected element of English welfare history, examining the role and significance of English almshouses in the period 1550 - 1725 and the contribution they made within the developing welfare systems of the time. We discuss the differences between history and heritage andhow they are both important when working on older properties. Angela explains the types of accommodation provided to poor people and how taxes paid for it. How the almshouses have changed and people’s attitudes to them and who might qualify for an almshouse plus parish houses and workhouses. We talk about the welfare system, particularly during the Victorian period and how Parishes looked after the poor and the physical boundaries they set around it. We also discuss the usual challenges, common themes andmisconceptions working in the heritage sector along with top tips when working with an older property. It will be an interesting listen for anyone wanting to knowmore about almshouses or you are embarking on a project and are looking for some guidance and anyone generally interested in older properties.

    1h 6m

  4. 10/12/2025

    S5. Ep 6. In conversation with Stephanie Harris, an associate lighting designer at CBG Light Perceptions.

    In this episode I am joined by Stephanie Harris, an associate lighting designer at CBG Light Perceptions where they provide bespoke design, consultancy and project management services for lighting and associated systems for historic, religious and other important buildings. Stephanie is also a member of the Society of Light and Lighting. We talk about how important it is to understand a space, howit will be used and by whom and how integral a clear brief is to work out what type of lighting is required. We also discuss how reading the building to understand what makes it special and what needs to be highlighted and what may need to be in the background is integral. Stephanie shares her experiences when working on a project and how she creates different lighting levels as over lighting can have a worse impact than under lighting a space or building. When working with a historical and listed building it isvital that the fabric of the building is not impacted and how the context of its setting is important when developing lighting plans plus working with the various bodies to obtain sign off. What chat about how advances in technology helps manage lighting settings to help with sustainability so that lighting is only on when it is needed and the importance of using the right suppliers to ensure longevity of the light fitting and system. We also discuss the usual challenges, common themes andmisconceptions working in the heritage sector along with top tips when working with an older property. It will be an interesting listen for anyone embarking on aproject and is looking for some guidance and anyone generally interested in older properties.

    48 min

  5. 03/12/2025

    S5. Ep 5. In conversation with Venetia Flint, a Material Broker and Commercial Partnerships Lead at Material Index.

    In this episode I am joined by Venetia Flint, a Material Broker and Commercial Partnerships Lead at Material Index, a leading platform providing the digital infrastructure for end-to-end material reuse in the Construction and Real Estate sectors, achieving a material reuse rate that is 10 times the UK average. With a BSc Hons in Real Estate from Oxford Brookes and five years experience in the Architecture & Design sector, Venetia has an understanding of both the commercial and creative sides of the industry. She connects valuable reclaimed assets with new projects, driving significant cost, carbon and waste savings. We talk about how Venetia got into the industry and how herexposure at a young age to older buildings and items generally planted a seed for the importance to reuse. We get into how Material Index can help companies and projects and that it is not just for older buildings looking to reinstatean item or seamlessly blend finishes but that it can be used from a ground up project where reusing materials on a new build can be just as important. Venetia outlines the approach they take when cataloguing the items and how important the past usages, location and condition is just as important as the dimensions to help tell a story of how and when it has been used and keep its history alive. We also discuss the usual challenges, common themes andmisconceptions working in the heritage sector along with top tips when working with an older property. It will be an interesting listen for anyone embarking on aproject and is looking for some guidance and anyone generally interested in older properties.

    1h 3m

  6. 26/11/2025

    S5. Ep 4. In conversation with Kathryn Ferry, a historian specialising in Architecture, Design and Seaside Culture.

    In this episode I am joined by Kathryn Ferry, a historian specialising in Architecture, Design and Seaside Culture. Kathryn has published several books which range from the history of beach huts, through Victorian homes and 1950s kitchens, to the official history of Butlin’s and the story of Britain’s largest Anglican convent at East Grinstead. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a Founder Member of the Seaside Heritage Network. The latest publication is called 20th Century Seaside Architecture which is published in association with the 20th Century Society. Katheryn shares where her passion for history and heritagecame from and the roles she has undertaken and working for The Victorian Society where they helped inform the future of a building referring to some great examples. We talk about how the seaside was an integral part of people’s lives and what it meant for the economy and how it was an industry in its own right. Plus, the importance of candy floss, sticks of rock, donuts and amusement arcades.  Kathryn and I talk about how advances in technology, socialelements, country variations, the lack of servants and knowledge have shaped designs and how we interact with and use buildings and spaces. We also discuss the usual challenges, common themes andmisconceptions working in the heritage sector along with top tips when working with an older property. It will be an interesting listen for anyone embarking on aproject and is looking for some guidance and anyone generally interested in older properties.

    1h 1m

  7. 19/11/2025

    S5. Ep 3. In conversation with Sarah Dowd, serial heritage and cultural entrepreneur, founder and chair of The Tricolor Collective.

    In this episode I am joined by Sarah Dowd, serial heritageand cultural entrepreneur, founder and chair of The Tricolor Collective, which is 15 years old this year, as well as Founder and Co-Managing Director of Les Raconteurs and host of “History FFS”, a podcast looking at the intersection ofhistory as seen through the arts. Sarah takes us on her journey of where her passion forheritage came from and how the stories her grandmother told her and the time she spent in England helped shape her view of the world and our connection with the past and also her study and carer choices and the various roles and companies Sarah has worked with and the support she has provided organisations through their challenging times. We talk about the meaning of heritage and how it is widerthan a building and how this informs how you should approach projects. We discuss the importance of collaboration and the need to think about how the endusers of a space will interact with it and how their needs have to be considered in the design process and not just the direct project teams and the funders perspectives – it needs to have an audience first mentality. We also discuss the usual challenges, common themes andmisconceptions working in the heritage sector along with top tips when working with an older property. It will be an interesting listen for anyone embarking on aproject and is looking for some guidance and anyone generally interested in older properties.

    1h 12m

  8. 12/11/2025

    S5. Ep 2. In conversation with Lorraine Finch, Director and Founder of LFCP.

    In this episode I am joined by Lorraine Finch, Director andFounder of LFCP where they are accelerating climate and environmental action in cultural heritage through research, knowledge sharing and resource creation and training. LFCP provides remote and onsite consultation, training opportunities and mentoring to museums, libraries and archives nationally and internationally to help them work sustainably and to assist them in meeting their sustainability goals. Lorraine is an accredited conservator specialising in theconservation and preservation of archives, focusing on photographs, film and sound. We talk about how Lorraine got into the conservation worldand how this led to her caring for paper based documents which later expanded into photographs. Lorraine shares some of the projects and artifacts she has worked on which is not only broad ranging but incredible in terms of the significance and age of some of the pieces she has handled and restored. Lorraine shares information on training and routes into theindustry and how climate change is impacting the health and wellbeing of collections and heritage assets. We discuss the usual challenges, common themes andmisconceptions working in the heritage sector which includes a myth that you can’t wash paper along with top tips when working with an older property. It will be an interesting listen for anyone embarking on aproject and is looking for some guidance and anyone generally interested in older properties.

    52 min
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About

This podcast is for anyone interested in historic buildings. This could be a traditional cottage, a Victorian terrace, a Georgian manor house or even a stately home. Whether it is listed or not, they are all special and interesting and part of Our Built Heritage. Each episode I will be talking to experts in their field who work in the heritage-built environment or own a traditional or listed property. We will be debunking myths, talking about how best to work with your traditional property and top tips.

Information

  • Creator
    Alexis Nicolaidis
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    50
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Alexis Nicolaidis
  • Show Website
    Our Built Heritage