A recent survey commissioned by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and YouGov has led to warnings that UK historic buildings are at risk due to a shortage of restoration skilled workers.
The results of the survey, which was published in April this year, showed that while 91% of the British public hold the view that historic buildings are synonymous with our country’s heritage, awareness of age-old building professions is scarce among young people. Just 1 in 10 18-24 year olds can describe the job of a stonemason and 80% don’t know what a roof thatcher’s job entails.
These types of skills are vital to preserve our iconic aged buildings but with such a lack of awareness of the specialist professions needed to keep them going, it is feared that as more people retire, the current skills base could be wiped out. This could mean that in the future, properties such as Windsor Castle and Kensington Palace could be left in a state of disrepair.
Chris Jude, director at Building Surveyors Ltd, commented: “As one of four Conservation Accredited Surveyors in the North East of England, I’m a huge advocate of preserving historic architecture and championing the importance of including craft skills as part of construction training in the UK. And while it’s not an easy task, young people need to feel inspired to pursue a career in the sector and more awareness around the importance of preserving our beautiful buildings is vital.
“Nurturing young talent and creating a pipeline of skilled preservation workers will greatly support the work we do here at Building Surveyors Ltd as well as our peers across the UK to make sure that our historic buildings are well maintained for future generations to enjoy.”
Building Surveyors Ltd offers expert advice on all aspects of conservation and have completed a number of specialist projects. Click here to read our case studies.
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