Wells Cathedral West Front pilot study : Setting the tone for appraisal and repair strategies

Author's Biography

Berenice Humphreys began her career with Cliveden Conservation working as an architectural conservator on numerous projects, varying from fixing plaster decorative ceilings in Northumberland, repairing a Tudor tiled floor in Cornwall, cleaning marble statues in Wales and refixing architectural ceramics in Northern Ireland. Since 2005 she has taken the lead on projects, and now works from the Bath workshop of Cliveden as a Senior Projects Manager. The projects remain varied both in materials and size. Recent projects include consulting on and overseeing the conservation needs during the Archway Project — a scheme to open up a new section of the Roman Baths Museum in Bath, lifting and setting a 5m x 8m Roman mosaic on the wall of Dorset Museum, and works to decorative plaster and timbers at St John’s College, Oxford. Berenice also has been involved for many years with the Institute of Conservation, the professional body for practising conservators, and has for the last few years been Co-Chair of the Stone and Wallpaintings Group, organising conferences and lectures on a voluntary basis. With over 20 years’ experience in the contracting field, she spends much of her time consulting, estimating, negotiating with clients, architects and her team, and looking after the logistics of projects which frequently require last-minute decision making, as conservation of historic buildings tends not to be predictable. She has delivered presentations to professionals on the repairs of ceramics on the Crown Bar in Belfast, local radio interviews on the repairs to both the Roman Baths and Fordington Mosaic in Dorset, and was part of a recent Discovery Channel Heritage Rescue documentary on a water-damaged plaster ceiling at Powderham Castle.