Optima Magazine

When the first enthusiasm for restoring a period property dies away, owners can find themselves left with a paintbrush in one hand, and a list of questions in the other…

What should we do to the ceiling?…What can we do to the walls? What’s legal? What’s desirable?

It can be difficult to find practical, straightforward advice on such dilemmas, but period home owners in this area can benefit from having the SPAB – the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings – on their doorstep (so to speak). SPAB is Britain’s oldest building conservation body, was set up in 1877 by William Morris to oppose the destructive restorations of the Victorian era and promote the alternative of ‘conservative repair’. With its strapline of ‘We advise. We educate. We campaign.’, it now has its finger in innumerable conservation pies.

The organisation runs an annual, and very popular, Homeowners’ Course at their Georgian HQ in Spitalfields. Led by experts, it’s designed to offer up plenty of relevant guidance and information, and to equip owners with essential knowledge, so that they can ask the right questions of the right people when they or their builders tackle a project. It as helpful for those considering buying a period property as it is for those who have recently done so and who now need guidance on the best ways to repair it.

The two days cover a wide range of topics including, ‘the SPAB approach’, treating damp, timber decay, plasters and renders, roofs, listed building consent procedures, lime, interiors and finishes and choosing professionals. The information is relevant to all sorts of buildings – from moated manor houses to Victorian cottages.

The course features lively question and answer sessions and a close look at case studies, and offers a chance to meet like-minded enthusiasts and fellow owners of old and listed buildings, whose own experiences and stories provide an inspiring and very relevant backdrop to the sessions.

SPAB Secretary Philip Venning initiated the course after finding it difficult to uncover the right info when working on renovation projects of his own. He explains: “It seems almost incredible to me that we have been running the Homeowners’ Weekends for more than 25 years now, but I knew from personal experience of working on several period properties before joining SPAB how difficult it was to find helpful, non-alarmist advice. That’s why I was passionate about setting up this course - and why it still proves to be incredibly popular.”

Running on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 March, from 9.30am to 5pm each day, the course costs £160 per person, including lunch and refreshments on both days.