Conservation Architect
An architect with specialist expertise in historic buildings, conservation areas and listed building consent. ARB registered with IHBC or RIBA conservation accreditation. Essential for any works to a listed building or development within a conservation area. Can advise on what consent is required, prepare heritage statements and manage the consent process.
See all 30 professions belowAll heritage & conservation professions
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Conservation Architect
ARB registered architect with IHBC or RIBA conservation accreditation. Manages listed building consent, heritage statements and design on historic buildings.
HeritageHeritage Consultant
IHBC member. Advises on heritage significance, prepares heritage statements and manages consent applications for listed buildings, conservation areas and scheduled monuments.
HeritageListed Building Consent Consultant
Prepares and manages Listed Building Consent applications on behalf of owners. IHBC or MRTPI. Required for all notifiable works to a listed building.
HeritageScheduled Monument Consent Consultant
Manages Scheduled Monument Consent applications with Historic England. CIfA or IHBC. Required for any works affecting a scheduled monument.
HeritageHistoric Building Surveyor
Surveys and assesses the condition of historic buildings. MRICS with heritage specialism or IHBC. Produces condition reports and specifications for historic building repair.
HeritageArchaeological Consultant
Manages archaeological investigations and mitigation strategies for planning. MCIfA. Required when development may affect buried archaeological remains.
HeritageBuilding Archaeologist
Carries out standing building recording and analysis - understanding how a historic structure was built and modified over time. MCIfA. Required on significant historic structures before alteration.
HeritageDendrochronologist
Dates historic timber structures by analysing tree ring patterns. Used to establish the age of timber-framed buildings, barns and medieval structures. A specialist academic and scientific service.
HeritageThatcher
Lays and repairs traditional thatched roofs using water reed, long straw or combed wheat reed. Master Thatcher Guild membership indicates quality. Required for all thatched listed buildings.
HeritageMaster Thatcher
Senior thatching specialist with expertise in complex or high-value thatched roofs. National Society of Master Thatchers (NSMT) membership. Recommended for listed building thatching projects.
HeritageLime Plasterer
Applies and repairs lime plaster internally and lime render externally on historic buildings. Lime plaster is essential on listed and pre-1919 buildings to allow moisture movement. SPAB and Historic England guidance applies.
HeritageLime Mortar Specialist / Repointing Expert
Repoints historic masonry using lime mortar matched to the original. Cement pointing on old buildings causes spalling and moisture damage. Essential on all listed stone and pre-1919 brick buildings.
HeritageStonemason / Banker Mason
Cuts, carves and repairs natural stone masonry. Guild of Master Craftsmen or Historic England Building Skills Register. Essential for listed stone buildings and cathedral fabric.
HeritageStone Carver
Carves decorative stonework - capitals, corbels, tracery, heraldic devices and architectural ornament. Required for repair and replication of historic carved stone on listed buildings and churches.
HeritageLeadworker / Plumber
Works with lead sheet for roofing, gutters, flashings and decorative features on historic buildings. Lead Contractors Association membership. Required on all listed buildings with lead roofing.
HeritageStained Glass Conservator
Conserves, restores and creates stained glass windows in historic buildings and churches. BCGA (British Society of Master Glass Painters) or ICON membership. Required for all listed buildings with stained glass.
HeritageTimber Frame Specialist
Repairs and restores historic timber-framed buildings - oak frames, wattle and daub panels, jetties and bracing. Essential for listed timber-framed buildings. SPAB guidance applies.
HeritageOak Frame Carpenter
Crafts and repairs structural oak frames using traditional joinery techniques - mortice and tenon, pegged joints and traditional carpentry. Required for new oak frame buildings and repair of historic structures.
HeritageCob and Earth Builder
Repairs and builds with cob, rammed earth and other earth construction techniques. Specialist skill required for listed cob buildings, particularly in Devon, Cornwall and other areas with a traditional earth building heritage.
HeritageFlint Knapper / Flintwork Specialist
Works with flint for walls, decorative knapped flintwork and flushwork patterns. Specialist skill essential for listed flint buildings in Norfolk, Suffolk and the chalk downland counties.
HeritageClay Tile Maker
Manufactures hand-made clay tiles to match historic roofing. Required when listed buildings need re-roofing with period-accurate clay tiles. Some historic tile patterns are only available from specialist makers.
HeritageHeritage Brick Specialist
Sources, matches and lays historic brickwork. Handmade bricks matching the size, colour and texture of original historic brickwork are required for repairs to listed buildings and rebuilding after damage.
HeritageOrnamental Plasterer
Restores and replicates decorative plasterwork - cornices, ceiling roses, friezes and mouldings. Required on listed buildings and historic interiors. Traditional lime putty and fibrous plaster techniques.
HeritageGilding and Decorative Arts Conservator
Conserves and restores gilded surfaces, decorative painted finishes and historic interior decorative arts. ICON membership. Required on significant listed interiors and national collection buildings.
HeritageHistoric Paint Analyst
Analyses historic paint layers to identify original colour schemes and paint types. Required before redecorating significant historic interiors to ensure accurate restoration of colour and finish.
HeritageHistoric Garden Conservator
Restores and manages registered historic parks and gardens. IHBC and Landscape Institute. Required on Historic England Grade I and II* registered parks and gardens.
HeritageEcclesiastical Building Specialist
Specialist in the care and repair of churches and ecclesiastical buildings. Works within the Church of England Faculty Jurisdiction system. Quinquennial Inspection Architect qualification. Required for all works to listed churches.
HeritageVernacular Architecture Specialist
Expert in regional and local building traditions - the materials, forms and construction methods of a particular area. Vernacular Architecture Forum membership. Required on research, recording and sensitive repair of locally distinctive historic buildings.
HeritageStructural Engineer with Heritage Specialism
CEng structural engineer with expertise in historic building structures - masonry arches, timber roofs, flitch beams and traditional foundations. IStructE conservation register. Required when structural interventions are needed on listed buildings.
HeritageHistoric Environment Record Consultant
Researches and submits records to the local Historic Environment Record (HER). MCIfA. Required when planning conditions require a watching brief report or post-excavation assessment to be deposited with the local authority.
Heritage qualifications explained
IHBC and CIfA are the primary professional bodies for heritage specialists. Here is what the key qualifications mean.
IHBC membership is the primary professional qualification for conservation specialists in the UK. Required for Heritage Consultants, Conservation Architects (as an additional accreditation) and Historic Building Surveyors working on listed buildings and scheduled monuments. Local planning authority conservation officers are typically IHBC members.
All practising architects in the UK must be ARB registered. Conservation architects additionally hold RIBA Conservation Accreditation (RIBA Con Reg) or IHBC membership. The RIBA Conservation Register is the standard reference for identifying architects with verified heritage expertise. Always check both ARB registration and conservation accreditation before appointing.
Chartered membership of the CIfA is the professional standard for archaeologists and building archaeologists. Required for archaeological investigations, watching briefs and building recording submitted with planning applications. Local authority archaeologists check CIfA membership of appointed contractors.
SPAB membership and the SPAB Scholar programme identify craftspeople and professionals who follow traditional repair principles - using appropriate materials and avoiding harmful modern interventions. SPAB guidance is widely adopted by conservation officers and Historic England as best practice for historic building repair.
The Guild of Master Craftsmen and the Traditional Building Skills Bursary Trust help identify craftspeople with proven traditional skills. Historic England's Building Skills Register is another reference for finding skilled heritage tradespeople including stonemasons, thatchers, leadworkers and lime specialists.
All heritage consultants, conservation architects and specialist craftspeople should hold current Professional Indemnity or Public Liability Insurance before appointment. IHBC and RIBA members are required to maintain adequate PII. Specialist crafts trades should hold a minimum of £2 million Public Liability Insurance.