Our People

Richard Fletcher-Vane, 2nd Baron Inglewood

The Lord Inglewood MRICS is the Society’s President. He is a former heritage minister and his family home is the Grade I listed historic house of Hutton-in-the-Forest, Cumbria.

Liz Power - Director

Liz Power joined Historic Buildings & Places in February 2023. She has worked in Museum and heritage all of her professional life, most recently as the Director of the London Museum of Water & Steam in Brentford, West London, where she was responsible for 17 listed buildings. She understands well the challenges of working and caring for such important landmarks, as well as the challenges of working to make such buildings work in the face of the climate emergency.

When Liz is not working, she is proud to be the Chair of Young Lewisham Project, a grass roots young people’s charity, a trustee of AIM (Association of Independent Museums), an enthusiastic, if not very skilful, Baritone horn player in her local brass band, and slow runner. Liz lives in Lewisham with her husband and three children.

Ross Anthony – Secular Caseworker

Ross is Historic Buildings & Places’ Secular Caseworker, having joined the Society in August 2020. He previously was the national planning and policy advisor for the Theatres Trust, an advisory body to the DCMS and a statutory consultee in the planning system, working to protect and adapt a broad spectrum of historic and modern theatre and cultural buildings across England, Scotland, and Wales. He enjoys the diversity of casework that falls within the HBAP remit, particularly the more humble and often overlooked unlisted gems that need a friend to make sure that all historic buildings are recognised for their contribution to our cultural identity and sense of place.

Matthew Saunders – Ecclesiastical Caseworker

Matthew was Secretary of the Ancient Monuments Society, the predecessor body to Historic Buildings & Places, from 1977 to 2018. As a former Director of The Friends of Friendless Churches, he knows the power of an historic church to impress and to move and relishes helping Historic Buildings & Places contest proposals which threaten listed places of worship with demolition and unsympathetic alteration.

Christina Avramakis – Membership & Finance Manager

Christina joined the team in February 2022 as the new Membership & Finance Manager. She has a BA in Classics from the University of Durham, an MA in Museum Studies from Leicester University, and over 10 years of work experience within the museums and heritage sector, including roles at Bentley Priory Museum and the Museum of English Rural Life.

Stefanie Turza – Marketing and Communications Officer

Stefanie joined the team in April 2021 to help work on the Society’s new marketing and social media strategies as well as helping update the website, magazine and social media platforms. She has previously worked at GPAD and Fletcher Priest Architects as Marketing and Communications Coordinator, and at The Prince’s Regeneration Trust, working within a number of roles including communications and project support.

Paul Holden - Editor

Paul is the editor of the HB&P member’s magazine, Heritage Now, and the Journal of Historic Buildings & Places. He is also a freelance heritage professional and architectural historian. Paul is chairman of the Truro Diocese Advisory Committee, vice-chair of Truro Cathedral Fabric Advisory Committee, member of the Cornwall Design Review Panel and President of the Cornwall Family History Society and the James M MacLaren Society.

Sara Robertson - Chair of Trustees

Sara has a real passion for the historic built environment, having spent a considerable amount of time working within organisations dedicated to preserving heritage. She spent 12 years working at the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) in a number of roles, most recently as Deputy Director and Head of Casework; four years at the National Heritage Lottery Fund as Head of the Historic Environment, and four years as the Chief Executive at Icon. Although having now moved outside of the heritage sector in her professional role, she maintains close ties through voluntary work, including returning to SPAB as a Guardian on their advocacy committee, Trustee of the National Heritage Science Forum, and Chair of Europa Nostra UK.

Anthony Peers - Deputy Chair of Trustees

Anthony is an architectural historian and works as a consultant, teaching, lecturing and providing guidance to those planning the repair, alteration and extension of historic buildings. Anthony’s interests in the field are broad ranging – from farm buildings, and their adaptation, to the colonial buildings of India. In his rich and varied career he has worked at SAVE Britain’s Heritage, Historic England, the DTI in Mumbai, India, and as Rodney Melville & Partners’ historian. Anthony’s book on the history of Birmingham Town Hall was published in 2012 to much critical acclaim – it is one of the seven British ‘projects’ cited in the European Union’s 2013 Europa Nostra Awards.  He sits on the Ironbridge Gorge Museum’s Collections and Learning Committee.

Kathleen Fishwick - Hon. Secretary

Kathy has a background in Fine Arts and has worked within the secondary school and further education sectors, including the Worker’s Education Association. She has represented Historic Buildings & Places at several Public Inquiries, as well as Assessor on regional and national regeneration competitions and represents Historic Buildings & Places on Manchester City Council’s Conservation Panel. Kathy has a long-standing involvement with the Civic Society movement, and is currently Chair of the North West Association of Civic Trusts and Societies, continuing to campaign for a future for significant buildings, particularly vernacular, and industrial in often overlooked localities.

Giles Adams - Hon. Treasurer

Giles brings valuable expertise to Historic Buildings & Places from his career in the financial sector. Working for the Bank of England from 1986 to 1998, he joined KPMG in 1998, working on financial services regulation; he became a Partner in 2009 and retired in 2023. Alongside his financial experience, Giles studied History of Art at both undergraduate and post-graduate level, and has actively continued his interests in the fine and decorative arts and architectural history. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He joined the Board of the British Library in 2023 and is a member of its Audit Committee.

Jill Channer

Jill is an independent historic building and architectural glass consultant with professional experience of developing policy, operating and reconciling the ecclesiastical and secular historic building statutory systems in the public, private and voluntary sectors. Currently a member of the Church Buildings Council, its Statutory Advisory and Stained Glass Committees, the  Wells Cathedral Fabric Advisory Committee, she is National Amenity Societies’ nominee on the Bath and Wells and Salisbury Diocesan Advisory Committees, a board member of the Register of Architects Accredited in Building Conservation and Trustee of the St Andrew’s Conservation Trust. Jill is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, the Royal Society of Arts, and a member of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation.

Leslie Du Cane

Leslie qualified as a chartered accountant, and has spent most of his working life working for charities and in the voluntary sector.  He has been associated with the governance of what is now Historic Buildings & Places for more than 40 years, and is currently its Hon. Treasurer.  He is also both Deputy Governor of The French Hospital, a Huguenot almshouse charity, and a trustee of the Huguenot Society.  He enjoys family and local history research, Scotland, and open water swimming.  He and his wife Alison are fortunate to live in an C18^th house by the River Thames in Hammersmith.

Cara Hepburn

Cara has a decade of experience in fundraising, beginning her career at the British Museum before working for four years at Sir John Soane’s Museum, which lead her to Royal Museums Greenwich, before she went to English Heritage where she was Head of Private Philanthropy. Cara has created a number of long-term strategies and initiatives, which have grown philanthropic income along the ‘individual giving pipeline’.

Moe Horikawa

Moe is an Investment Manager at the National Lottery Heritage Fund and holds a MA in International Cultural Heritage Management from Durham University. She has a particular interest in historic buildings forming historic urban landscapes. Moe is originally from Japan.

Bob Kindred

Bob has been professionally involved in front-line management for over 40 years in the public, private and voluntary heritage sectors, and runs his own heritage consultancy. He has particular experience with the Institute of Historic Building Conservation, serving on its Council, Policy and Education Committees. He is currently a member of the St Edmundsbury & Ipswich DAC, the RIBA Suffolk Design Review Panel, and is one of the four consultant editors of the international Journal of Architectural Conservation.  He was awarded the MBE for services to historic building conservation in 1999.

Clare Knowles

Clare is Head of Marketing & Digital at Durham Cathedral and has fifteen years’ experience in the charity, culture and heritage sector, leading digital marketing communications for well-loved North East and national brands. In her present role at Durham Cathedral, Clare has had the opportunity to transform the Marketing & Digital department – from shaping a new team to redefining the marketing communications strategy and approach. Previously Clare was Marketing & Communications Consultant for National Trust across the North region, managing regional strategy and campaigns and supporting properties on high profile projects in the North, including Seaton Delaval Hall. She is CIM qualified and has a degree in Public Relations.

Peter Mitchell

Peter is Head of Sustainability at Gascoyne Estates, custodians of Hatfield House among other historic buildings and landscapes. His work covers all aspects of the business from farming and forestry to leisure and development, helping the team deliver ambitious sustainability commitments.

Tim Moore

Tim is a lecturer at Oxford University and also a curator for the National Trust. He specialises in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and is particularly interested in Global and Inclusive Histories; the latest publication he is working towards is about the lived experience of people of colour in Georgian England. As a proud, gay person of colour, Tim has a particular passion for diversity and inclusion in the heritage sector. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, travelling and sketching, as well as enjoying all the richness of London’s queer culture and community.

Kate Solecki

Kate’s interest in history has taken her across the world (literally!) having completed an undergraduate degree in Near Eastern archaeology in her home country of Canada, she moved to the UK to complete her master’s degree at Durham University in prehistoric archaeology. She fell in love with the UK, and now lives here, having worked in a variety of roles across England, most recently at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Her interests and experience centre around pioneering new and innovative ways to engage audiences with historic built and landscape environments.

Philip Thomas

Phil has worked as a freelance architectural historian, musician, writer, and educationalist across England, Wales, and Scotland, and has been, and still is, variously Chairman, Secretary and trustee of a number of Building Preservation Trusts, and has played an active role in rescuing several historic churches and giving them new uses. In 2001 he was appointed Church Buildings Officer and Secretary to York Diocesan Advisory Committee, of which he had been a member since 1993. In 2016 he relinquished both positions to become Church Buildings Advisor and Senior Advisor to the DAC.  Phil is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers, an Honorary Life Member of the Royal Society of Architects in Wales and a regular lecturer on architectural and design matters.