Historic Environment Skills is a four year long project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. A total of 21 bursaries are being offered across the heritage sector, delivered through project partners including Lincolnshire County Council, Lincoln Cathedral, Archaeological Project Services and ourselves.
Heritage Lincolnshire have welcomed Katherine for the next 6 months in her position as Conservation Trainee. She told us a bit about how she got interested in heritage and is finding her placement so far:
How did you become interested in a career in heritage?
I don’t want to sound like a cliché but I’ve always been interested in history in one way or another, be it my obsession with dinosaurs when I was a toddler or my first forays into archaeology as a teenager or my habit of collecting antique books. When I was young we would always visit something historical at the weekend: castles, gardens, stately homes and local churches and even holidays abroad followed this pattern, except this time there were caves and prehistoric tombs! I always thought I would be a prehistorian when I went to university to study archaeology, but I was quickly drawn to the Medieval and the Georgian period, and the stranger the history the better! (Turns out I was not really a digger). Most of my essays ended up featuring historic buildings and how the people that use them shape the identity of said buildings. After doing both my undergraduate and MA dissertations on Medieval religion and church architecture I realised I wanted to go into a career where I could take the theory and love of research I gained at university and put it into practice in a meaningful way. I want to help protect and promote the buildings I’ve always been deliriously passionate about and show others why they should love the heritage of the built environment they live with.
Why did you apply for the role?
I am a born and bred Lincolnshire Lass and I was so excited by the opportunity to work within the heritage industry in the county I love most! The traineeship provided me with the perfect chance to develop practical skills, outside of the trench, which contributed to the conservation of buildings. I was already familiar with the work Heritage Lincolnshire having previously worked on local heritage projects with people who already volunteered with them and I wanted to become part of an organisation that plays such an integral part in local heritage.
What do you love about your role as a trainee?
I’ve just started my second month and I can’t believe how settled in I feel, everyone has been so welcoming and there’s never a dull moment! In just a month I’ve visited so many sites, Greyfriars in Lincoln, Tattershall College, Bolingbroke Caste, Scrivelsby and an archaeological excavation, giving me my much-needed fix of archaeology which I’ve missed in lockdown! The traineeship has made me explore parts of Lincolnshire in a new light, Boston in particular. It’s been great that I’ve been the opportunity to contribute to important projects and I’m able to combine it with my love for research. Recently I’ve been researching the history of Boston town centre and every Monday I post on the Explore and Discover Boston page some historical nugget I’ve come across. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the Traineeship has in store, and all I can say is bring it on!
