Wednesday 12 June, 6pm GMT: Geoff Wallis, ‘Insights into cross-cultural conservation training’, chaired by Sarah Neville.

Geoff Wallis completed an apprenticeship at Rolls-Royce Aero Engines in Bristol and graduated in Mechanical Engineering from Bath University. During this time, his volunteering on conservation projects changed his career, so that at the age of 25 he joined a newly founded Company, Dorothea Restoration Engineers Ltd, which he directed for over 30 years, specializing in the practical conservation of traditional wind and watermills, museum exhibits, and structural/architectural metalwork. Geoff is now a consultant and lectures widely on these subjects. He has led the Architectural and Structural metalwork Conservation Course at West Dean College, Chichester, England for two decades.

Geoff has always delighted in sharing his interest in historic engineering and practical conservation with audiences in the UK, and when he was asked to present courses in Myanmar, Stone Town, Zanzibar, and online to India he was left to consider: What content should be included? At what level should he teach? What about important cultural differences? As a result of his experiences teaching internationally, Geoff has learned much, especially when things went wrong! Here, he’ll present some honest insights into cross-cultural conservation training, with a focus on structural/architectural metalwork.

Online access link