University News Last updated 23 April 2021
BCU has appointed a new Visiting Professor to the School of Architecture, Dr. Anna Keay. She is Director of the Landmark Trust, Britain’s second largest building conservation charity, which has a portfolio of 200+ historic buildings renovated for use as holiday lets.
These are often the quirky sites – castles, towers, forts, gate lodges, cottages - that are challenging to turn around from dereliction to modern comfort, and even to Stirling Prize winners as in the case of Astley Castle in Warwickshire. Before that she was Curatorial Director with English Heritage.
Communication is very important to Anna and she also works with Channel 4 to deliver programmes on cultural topics such as the renovation of Big Ben. She received an OBE in 2019 for services to History and to Heritage.
Her first all-school online talk, Conservation – social enterprise or luxury brand?, will take place on Wednesday 5 May at 6pm. It is a dialogue about whether conservation should be seen as luxury design or as a socially-responsible endeavour, based on the gorgeous buildings and interiors of the Landmark Trust.