First up, Mark Small told us how he came to work at the
Bristol Record Office, a path which began with a trip to Bath during his
Masters which led to a job with the Churches Conservation Trust. The Masters
then, was not simply a qualification to put on the CV but the inspiration for a
potential career path. The overarching message from Mark was not to plan your
career, or at least, don’t stick to a plan if other opportunities arise. And
so, Mark told us how he moved from old buildings to old documents via the Red Lodge,
Bristol’s smallest museum.
Secondly, Tim Savage recounted the ups and downs of
postgraduate careers, or as he put it ‘the good, the bad & the ugly’, in a
funny and engaging manner. Tim’s postgraduate career has involved many jobs,
from call centres to the heritage sector. In his most recent job at the
Carnegie Museum in Melton, Tim has been working on a very exciting project with
the Royal Army Veterinary Corps; with postgraduate careers, it’s always great
to know that there’s light at the end of the tunnel!
Last but not least, Mike Fox told us of his work with the
campaigning organisation SAVE Britain’s Heritage. Having completed a Masters in
Urban Conservation, Mike set about putting theory into practice, participating
in campaigns to try and preserve many historic buildings. While I can’t speak
for anyone else in the audience, a particular favourite of mine was Wentworth
Woodhouse, a large country house in danger of losing its ‘wings’, the house
having been undermined for coal after the Second World War.
It was great to hear about career opportunities for
postgraduates and what three former students have got up to since they left. All
of the speakers were Centre for Urban History alumni and we thank Roey Sweet,
Director of CUH, for helping to organise the event. Our next event comes this
Friday (15th May) with a Ghost Tour of Leicester.
Aaron Andrews
