Join us at the ICOMOS-UK Christmas Social! This year it will be held in the historic surroundings of St Alfege Church, Greenwich, part of the World Heritage Site, on Tuesday 17th December.

Waking Sleeping Giants: The Painted Hall, Greenwich; Dockyard Church, Sheerness and the North Wing at St Bartholomew’s Hospital

In this talk Will Palin, former Conservation Director at the Old Royal Naval College, will discuss the challenges and successes of three major building conservation projects he has overseen since 2016. He will recount the story behind the epic Painted Hall project (completed in 2019); the rescue of the fire-ravaged Dockyard Church in Sheerness (completed last year); and give an update on his ongoing £10m project at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in the City of London, due to finish in the summer of 2025.

We will also have an opportunity to hear about the history of the beautiful St Alfege, designed by Hawksmoor, and the ongoing work to open up the heritage of this building to new communities.

The lecture will be followed by a social. Wine or soft drinks are included in the cost of the ticket.

Event Schedule

Tuesday 17th December 2024

5.00 – 6.00pm: Lecture

6.00 – 8.00pm: Drinks Reception and tours of the historic church and crypt

About the Speaker

Will has been the CEO Barts Heritage since 2019 and is currently leading a major project to repair, conserve and rejuvenate the Grade I-listed North Wing at St Bartholomew’s Hospital. He is an architectural historian, writer, campaigner and heritage expert. He was a curator at Sir John Soane’s Museum until 2007 then director of SAVE Britain’s Heritage. Most recently he worked as Conservation Director at the Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich where he led the multi-award-winning Painted Hall conservation project. Will has lectured widely on 18th- and 19th-century art and architecture and is a former columnist of Country Life magazine. He is a trustee of the Georgian Group and the Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College. He recently retired as Chairman of the Sheerness Dockyard Trust where he oversaw the rescue and repair of Sheerness Dockyard Church, a project which has received a number of national awards including the RICS UK Project of the Year.

For In Person tickets, please see the event page here.

For online tickets, please use this event page.