Dr Peter Burman – Brief CV

Education

I went to Tudor Grange Grammar School, now Tudor Grange Academy, Solihull.

I won an exhibition to King's College, Cambridge to study English, but finished my degree (MA) in History of Art.

In 1980 I participated in the six-month Mural Paintings Conservation Course at ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property) in Rome.

Qualifications and distinctions

Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), 1990.

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London (FSA), 1974

Honorary doctorate of engineering (Dr.-Ing. e.h.) in monument conservation and architectural history (Denkmalpflege und Architekturgeschichte) from the Brandenburg Technical University, Cottbus.

Companion of John Ruskin's Guild of St George.

Member of the Art Workers Guild.

Employment

From 1968 to 1990 I worked for the Council for the Care of Churches and the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England (now united as the Church Buildings Council) serving as its General Secretary from 1977 onwards.

From 1990 to 2002 I was Director of the Centre for Conservation Studies, Department of Archaeology, University of York.

From 2002 to 2007 I was Director of Conservation and Property Services at the National Trust for Scotland.

From 2007 to 2012 I was Professor of Cultural Heritage Management at the Brandenburg Technical University World Heritage Studies, in Cottbus, Germany.

From 2012 onwards I have continued to be active as an arts and heritage consultant, for clients who have included the Chapter of Lincoln Cathedral (2008–2018) and the Duke of Buccleuch.

Expertise and work undertaken

My areas of expertise include:

• Researching and putting together Conservation or Heritage-related Management Plans.
• Advising on Collections Care including Archives.
• Advising or managing the process of commissioning works of art or fine craftsmanship for cathedrals, churches, country houses, designed landscapes and gardens, World Heritage Sites, urban and rural public spaces.
• Advising on repair and conservation of historic stone sculptures using traditional lime-based methodology.

Examples include:

• Conservation & Management Plan for the Cathedral & Abbey Church of St Alban.
• Conservation Statement, Royal Company of Archers.
• Major commissions, sculpture and furniture, at Lincoln Cathedral during ten years as Arts Adviser.
• St Paul's Cathedral, London, originator of project for the design and installation of the Winston Churchill Memorial Screen in the crypt.
• Survey of estate walls of Duke of Buccleuch's Boughton Estate.
• Burrell Collection, Glasgow, organiser and facilitator of a series of staff and consultant seminars which contributed to the major project for repairing the museum building and improving display of collections.

Voluntary work

I am active in a number of charities, as:

• a Director of the Guild of St George, responsible for international relationships and Craftsmanship
• Chair of the Falkland Society
• Trustee of the Falkland Stewardship Trust
• Chair of the CHE Research Trust (CHERT)
• Archivist and Trustee of Hopetoun House, and Founder and Chair of the Scottish Association of Country House Archivists.

Previous appointments have included:

• Chair for 20 years of the Fabric Advisory Committee of St Paul's Cathedral, London.
• founder of the Building Limes Forum of the UK, and its Convenor from 1992 to 2000.
• Chair of the Garden History Society for Scotland (now Scotland's Garden and Landscape Heritage) from 2013 to 2015.
• Vice-chair of the Built Environment Forum for Scotland from 2015 to 2019
• member of the Fabric Advisory Committee of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle from 2016 to 2021
• Founding Trustee of SAVE Britain's Heritage for 41 years from 1976
• Chair of the Falkland and Newton of Falkland Community Council from 2016 to 2018.

Writing and lecturing

See my list of publications

 [and list of lecture titles - to follow]