Paul has been involved in the conservation of historic buildings for the past 20 years. He has wide experience of working with the National Trust, Historic Royal Palaces, the Landmark Trust, the Crown Estate and English Heritage, for whom he has an agreement to advise on their properties nationwide.
He has been overseeing what he describes as a ‘fantastic project’ to refurbish a grand Irish 1820s country house and its surrounding estate, giving it a new identity as a country house hotel. This project has allowed Paul plenty of scope to display his special flair for repairing and restoring historic interiors. With a passion for getting the detail right, he is a firm believer in encouraging high quality craft skills and the most appropriate use of traditional materials.
The challenge of sensitively blending the old with the new gives him great satisfaction and the Ballyfin project has provided him with plenty of opportunity in the field.
Paul has also brought new life to one of London’s most significant interiors, Home House in Portman Square. He has had the exacting task of refurbishing the great Robert Adam rooms with their elaborate décor and furniture. As conservation consultant to the Crown Estate he is able to make an important contribution to the management of their historic properties in London. He assesses the impact of new schemes of works on the fabric of the buildings in their care, ensuring that there is no erosion of standards and that, wherever possible, there is an enhancement of the existing qualities.
Beyond his work on great historic properties, Paul is looking forward to adapting a set of redundant mill buildings in London for reuse. He anticipates that this community-based project will be particularly rewarding as it has the potential to enhance many local people’s lives.
‘I aim to bring a thoughtful yet imaginative approach to conserving the historic environment and in finding new uses for old buildings’.