image: Jonathan Taylor for the IHBC
The IHBC is delighted to thank all contributors, participants, sponsors, network partners and School Friends who have helped ensure that our 2025 Annual School in Shrewsbury – #IHBCShrewsbury2025 – was such a success, which also served as a perfect introduction for our next School, in June and Newcastle, on ‘Adaptive Reuse’, and #IHBCNewcastle2026.
IHBC President Rebecca Thompson opened the 2025 School at the Thursday Reception, sponsored by Velux, and said: ‘The Shrewsbury School got off to a wonderful start with tours to Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, Shrewsbury Abbey, Secular Wall Paintings and Shrewsbury Town Churches. I’m really happy to offer a huge thanks to the extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic guides who gave their time with such joy.’
‘Our evening Reception, launching the School, was held in the most beautiful venue, the Church of St Mary the Virgin, a Grade I listed church in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. Dating from Saxon times with additions from the 12th century onwards, it boasts world famous stained-glass windows and the most incredible 15th century carved oak ceiling.’
‘The opening Reception was a huge success, and was a great opportunity to meet so many members, both new and established. Huge thanks to our speakers on the evening too: Andy Wigley, Robert Milton and, for our Thursday Reception sponsors, Barbara Entwistle of Velux Windows.’
‘The 2025 School has shown just how the context for heritage is all about people and culture, and the West Midlands Branch helped bring together the spirit of IHBC, our values and the vision in a perfect IHBC Annual School 2025.’
IHBC Chair David McDonald said: ‘Our 2025 School – sponsored by MFL Insurance – centred on our now-familiar hybrid Day School, distinguished by stimulating talks and fascinating presentations from a diverse range of expert speakers. Learning is central to the day, and here focussed on the complex relationship between ‘context’ and change in the historic environment: on how we value, manage, and preserve significance in the face of continued evolution and intervention.’
‘The day itself was book-ended first by a generous online welcome by Duncan Wilson CBE, Chief Executive at Historic England. Our 2025 Friend of the School, representing RICS, Jessica Jones, Vice-Chair of the RICS Building Conservation Advisory Group, responded positively to the programme at the days end, including a welcome call for more partnership events between our organisations.’
‘This was followed by our North Branch signposting the 2026 Annual School, in Newcastle and in June, on the challenging theme of Adaptive Reuse’. Critically too, with so much expertise in offer, the Day School will be available exclusively to virtual and in-person delegates via recordings.’
West Midlands Branch Chair Imogen Wood said: ‘The IHBC has triumphed again this year, bringing our members to a truly beautiful and historic setting for our School 2025 theme of ‘Heritage in Context’. The tours have all been full; we had nearly 200 people in the Theatre auditorium for the Day School, all joining in a roller coaster of thought provoking, globally representative and diverse views on historic building conservation, while our Reception and Gala dinner were both perfectly hosted by the town’s St. Mary’s Church and the Prince Rupert Hotel. It’s been an inspiring few days!’
Branch Vice Chair Rachael Parry said: ‘It was wonderful to chair the afternoon session of the Day School, especially after all the hard work put into the programme by our busy Branch and National Office. Lots of diverse and stimulating takes on the detailed consideration of heritage in context were brought into the sharpest focus, which was exactly what we had hoped for!’
See 2025 School updates on the NewsBlogs HERE
