Pen Pics

Frank Robinson (Chairman)

Frank Robinson, Chairman of HBC is a chartered structural engineer from Holywood and recently retired as a partner in Kirk McClure Morton, Belfast. Has over forty years experience in working with historic buildings in commercial, industrial and domestic environments. Was the partner responsible for the structural engineering aspects of the restoration/re-use of Clifton House, Mossley Mill, Downpatrick Gaol, and involved in the first phase restoration of the Grand Opera House Belfast.

Iona Andrews

Iona Andrews is a chartered surveyor and member of the Ulster Architectural  heritage Society. (UAHS)

Brian Banks

Brian Banks is a Chartered Town Planner with extensive experience in all aspects of planning, was formerly a senior professional commissioner with the Planning Appeals Commission.

Kenneth Boston

Kenneth Boston is a Chartered Building Surveyor, Lecturer and Course Director of Building Surveying Degree programmes at the University of Ulster, Jordanstown. Consultant surveyor specializing in condition surveys and building pathology.

Cathal Crimmins

Mr Cathal Crimmins is an architect and historic buildings consultant. He worked with a firm of architects (1967-1972), and later as a senior architect with Dublin City and County Councils designing social housing. Having obtained a Masters in the Conservation of Towns and Buildings in 1988 he set up private practice dealing mainly with Architectural Conservation and continuing a general architectural practice obtaining awards for both housing and conservation work. He has been a tutor in the School of Architecture, Faculty of the Built Environment in the Dublin Institute of Technology and served on the RIAI Professional Practice Examination Board. He has been juror on the RIAI Conservation awards and sits on the RIAI Historic Buildings Committee. He is an architect accredited in Conservation Grade1 (2004).

Joe Diamond

Joe Diamond is a chartered architectural technologist from Bellaghy, proprietor of a rural architectural practice based in Maghera for over 10 years. He is a member of various chartered institutes including the Ulster Architectural society and has a keen interest in the preservation and restoration of buildings.

Professor Joseph Fitzgerald

Professor Joseph Fitzgerald is a retired architect and former member of the Historic Buildings Council in 1980s.

Brian Green

Brian Green is a retired structural engineer with extensive experience in the reinstatement of historic buildings. During a career in structural engineering in N Ireland he developed an interest in historic buildings of all types, and inspected many buildings damaged by explosives, fire, gales and vandalism. Mr Green inspected many buildings on behalf of DOE before becoming a member of HBC in 2007.

Dr Paul Harron

Paul Harron has just completed a part-time inter-disciplinary (Historic/Architecture) doctoral research into the Belfast architectural firm Young & MacKenzie at Queen's University, Belfast. From 2003 to 2008 he was the Architecture and Public Art Specialist at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and prior to that enjoyed several years in book publishing. Paul writes regularly for a range of publications including the 'Irish Arts Review' and has written various chapters for books. Paul is a past lay judge of the RIBA Awards and was conferred with Honarary Membership of the RSUA in 2007

Noelle Houston

Noelle Houston qualified as an architect before working in London. Following further study she worked with the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements in Afghanistan. Presently she is self-employed and a member of UAHS.

Hannah Kenny

Hannah Kenny is a Historic Buildings conservation consultant and has worked in Afghanistan, America, Nepal and the South West of England.

Alistair Lindsay

Alistair Lindsay is a Conservation Architect. Following 17 years in the public sector, he has worked for the last 14 years in the private sector and currently practices as a conservation consultant. Mr Lindsay advises on all aspects of historic buildings, their values, care and maintenance.

Michael Martin

Michael Martin has over 40 years as a valuer and surveyor working in the property field. For the last 18 years Mr Martin has been Senior Partner of a Chartered Firm of Surveyors working for Banks and Building Societies in mortgage valuation work.

Robert Miles

Robert Miles is a Chartered Architect, specialising in Conservation and recently headed up an Associated Irish Office based in Belfast. He has experience working in Sydney, Budapest and London for Foster and Partners, concentrating on high tech contemporary design. An example of works include Djanologly City Academy in Nottingham, Circle Hospital in Bath, the concept / planning of the New Tollymore Mountain Centre and the restoration and refurbishment of St Thomas’s Church in Belfast.  Mr Miles is a guest lecturer and tutor at Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Ulster. Council member of the RSUA and member of the RSUA Conservation Committee and studying for a PhD in Energy Conservation in Historic Building.

Patrick McGuigan

Patrick McGuigan is a self employed Quantity Surveyor with experience in working on a number of historic buildings.

Ursula O'Hare

Ursula O'Hare is the Assistant Director in the Law Centre (NI). Member of the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society and the Foyle Civic Trust.

Agnes Peacocke

Agnes Peacocke is a retired Civil Servant with a 40 year career in the N.I. Civil Service spent mainly in DOE and included involvement in early slum clearance schemes, the Belfast Enterprize Zone, the Urban Development Grant Scheme and the management of the Government Office Estate. In her final five years she served as a Director in the N.I. Assembly Secretariat with responsibility for the maintenance of Parliament Buildings. Agnes has a keen interest in historic buildings.

Dr Patricia Warke

Patricia Warke is a lecturer in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeocology at Queen's University Belfast. A geomorphologist by training, her PhD research involved investigation of rock weathering in contemporary hot arid environments with particular emphasis on the role of inheritance effects in development of present-day weathering phenomena.Since appointment as lecturer in 1999 her research interests have grown to include study of general decay dynamics of stone in built structures, both archaeological and historical.