Fancy doing something different..?   This ‘curry and conservation’ training day at a watermill might be just what you are looking for.

#notachef

Included in the cost of this training day is your choice of chicken curry or veg curry, served with rice, and a glass of wine or a soft drink.

If you don’t like an Indian curry, sorry – there isn’t an alternative option.   Don’t worry – I aim for flavour not simply to make them too hot to eat.

I’m not a professionally trained chef.  I simply enjoy cooking and people seem to enjoy my curries – maybe you will too.

In April 2017, I did the survey of this watermill.   I have kept in touch with my clients and they have allowed me to run this training day there.

Hopefully, it will be both fun and educational.

Why you should do this training day (apart from the curry!)

This watermill was once, like all other watermills and windmills, an important part of our social history.   Mills were the backbone of a community which made flour and ultimately fed the nation.

In more recent times, the need for such huge machinery makes these buildings less of a functional essential need and many have become redundant or neglected – or demolished.   Some have been saved by keen volunteers as tourist attractions and others, like this one, are now converted to residential use.   You will be shown the whole building, learn about its history and how it operated and how to do a building survey of such a unique structure.  This is a really unique opportunity, even for experienced surveyors.

This visit will only be available to a small group.   It will be a very personal visit to a unique and interesting home.

Suitability

Professionals from a wide variety of disciplines including residential surveyors and valuers, building surveyors, architects, and structural engineers as well as the many conservation trades will benefit.

This is also perfectly suitable for anyone with a general interest in older buildings.   That can include homeowners and buyers, for example.   Students, from all backgrounds, will find this especially valuable to their learning.

It will be particularly suitable for those who have some limited experience of doing RICS Level 2 and Level 3 building surveys and want to know more about older buildings.   It might also be suitable for more experienced surveyors who wish to broaden their knowledge.

This training is open and available to everyone.  Please do consider your own personal circumstances and your ability to use stairs.  There may be uneven terrain and surfaces. Do let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments and we can discuss this further and try to adapt where possible.

Training Format

This training will be delivered in-person at the watermill, which is located in Keswick, NR4 post code area.  It is a private residence.   The full address and joining instructions will be given after you have purchased a place on the course and nearer to the date of the training.

Timing

This is a private home.

10:00    Arrive.

We will start the day with a lesson in making the curry.  We will eat the curry at the end of the session.

We will be constantly walking and talking, with ample opportunity for questions, discussions and explanations.

15:00 –  Depart.  This time is entirely flexible and it could be earlier.

CPD

This training will provide up to 4 or 5 hours of formal CPD.

Training Instructor

This training will be taught by Prof. Duncan Philips FRICS.  Duncan is one of the UK’s most experienced Chartered Building Surveyors regarding historic and Listed Buildings, having been doing this work for over 30 years.   He runs Listed Building Surveys and he was Chair of the RICS Building Conservation Steering Group 2017 – 2023. He is the lead author of the new RICS Professional Standard – Conservation of Heritage Buildings and Assets, which will be published in 2024.  Duncan teaches building surveying, architectural history, building pathology and building conservation to undergraduate, postgraduate and mature students and also to the general public and the trades.