Blogs Heritage and Archaeology

Eliza Alqassar (nee Gore) studied archaeology at the University of Exeter and completed a Masters in Field Archaeology at the University of York. She worked for York Archaeological Trust as a digger and Community Archaeologist before lecturing in Archaeology at the University of Winchester.

From there she joined the Historic Environment Team at Cambridgeshire County Council before becoming the Archaeology Officer at Buckinghamshire County Council. She held this post for ten years. Recently she spent two years as an Assistant Inspector of Ancient Monuments with Historic England SE team, which she did alongside her role in Buckinghamshire. She is now the Historic and Built Environment Manager, overseeing the Heritage and Archaeology teams.

Jo started her career in insurance, finance and business management and took time off to raise a family. She then achieved her BA Hons in Interior Architecture from UCLAN (Preston). ​ Since then she has worked in architectural practice in Kendal (Cumbria), as a Self-employed Designer and Conference and Events manager.

Much of Jo's previous work focused on historic buildings and she gained an MA in Conservation of the Historic Environment at BCU (Birmingham). Jo achieved full membership of the Institute Of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC). For the last 3 years she has worked in local authority heritage roles, firstly at Royal Greenwich and now with Buckinghamshire Council. Jo has given a number of lectures on heritage and interiors and is passionate about sharing knowledge and inspiring good design.

Phil Markham studied Archaeology and Environmental Studies at the University of Wales (Lampeter) then completed a Masters in Town and Country Planning at the University of the West of England. He also holds post graduate certificates and is a member of the IHBC other professional institutes. He spread his wings in the early 2000s and gained a commercial pilot's licence. He has covered most aspects of Heritage Management.

Lucy Lawrence (nee Norman) studied archaeology and classical civilisation at the University of Nottingham. After graduating in 2000 and two years living abroad, she started work for Wessex Archaeology at the Heathrow Terminal 5 excavations.

Following this she transferred to Oxford Archaeology where she spent 12 years, initially working in the field, before moving into their in-house consultancy team. In 2015 she joined Cotswold Archaeology as part of the Milton Keynes consultancy department. Lucy joined Buckinghamshire County Archaeology Service in 2018.

Having twice failed to get into university Julia finally succeeded and studied archaeology at Cardiff University as a mature student. She then spent five years working on a wide variety of archaeological sites in south Wales for Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust.

In 1990-1991 Julia completed a post-graduate professional studies course in Field Archaeology at Oxford University. This included a three month placement with the County Archaeological Service in Buckinghamshire. She then joined Lincolnshire County Council as Historic Environment Record Assistant (HER) for three years. In 1994 Julia became the HER Officer for Buckinghamshire, a post she has held for 28 years.

Paul studied archaeology at the University of Winchester. After graduating he spent 13 years working for Northamptonshire Archaeology, now MOLA Northampton.

He has worked on and supervised a wide variety of excavations across the UK, particularly the midlands and East Anglia, covering the Neolithic period through to Second World War airbases. He has also undertaken numerous geophysical surveys. During this time he spent 9 months on secondment with Northamptonshire HER. Paul joined Buckinghamshire HER on a full-time basis in 2018 after spending 3 years working part-time for MOLA and Buckinghamshire.

Morwenna started on the road to heritage through her BA Hons Spatial Design (Interiors). She was inspired by working on architectural projects combining the old and the new and decided to complete her MSc in Historic Conservation.

Morwenna feels fortunate that she was able to begin her heritage career in her own home town by joining the Aylesbury Vale Heritage Team in 2015 with an entry level role before progressing to her current position as Senior Heritage Officer.

Sarah’s professional life started with an honours degree in Urban Land Economics and work in Bristol in private practice for a national development company. On qualifying as a Chartered Surveyor, she went on to work for an historic landed estate with responsibilities for planning and development.

Recognising a growing appreciation for the historic environment, Sarah obtained a Masters degree in Historic Buildings Conservation from Oxford Brookes in 2005. She achieved full membership of the Institute Of Historic Building Conservation in 2007. Sarah first started working as a conservation officer at South Oxfordshire District Council, and gained a Post Graduate Certificate in Urban Design before joining Wycombe District Council in 2015. She now has 20 years experience working in Conservation and Design.

Jenny studied Interior Design at the University of Portsmouth where she focused on design in heritage buildings. This led to a Masters in Historic Conservation at Oxford Brookes University. While studying her masters she volunteered with the National Trust maintenance team at Cliveden during her holidays.

Following the completion of her Masters degree, Jenny started working as an Historic Building Surveyor specialising in timber decay and condition surveys of historic features. After relocating to Eastbourne in 2018 Jenny joined Lewes District Council and worked as Conservation Officer across Lewes District and part of the South Downs National Park. Jenny has now moved back to the area she grew up in and has joined our team as Senior Heritage Officer.

Stephanie originally studied Biology at the University of Leeds. After volunteering for the National Trust and furthering her interest in heritage, she completed her Masters in Heritage Management at the University of Birmingham.

As part of her study placement, Stephanie gained further experience in conservation and planning applications at the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). Since then, she has worked for the National Trust in historic conservation for various properties. Stephanie then developed her knowledge and experience working across the East of England for English Heritage.

Nicola studied for an honours degree in Estate Management at Oxford Brookes University and worked in private practice becoming a Member of the Royal Institution Chartered Surveyors in 2003. It was whilst working as a surveyor that inspired her to undertake an MSc in Historic Building Conservation at Oxford Brookes University in 2019. She graduated in 2021 obtaining a distinction for dissertation.

Nicola joined Buckinghamshire Council in 2022, she has lived in Chilterns most of her life and she is currently working towards her IHBC and has a strong understanding of historic building construction and a passion for conserving.

Lisa’s background is in teaching and training, which she interspersed with career breaks to raise her family of four. Following a teaching role within a living history farm site, Lisa decided to build on her love of history, and completed an MSc in Historic Conservation at Oxford Brookes University.

Lisa now co-ordinates and promotes the county wide Local Heritage List Project. Lisa has a passion for engaging volunteers and particularly young people. She encourages everyone to connect with their past and conserve our heritage for the future.

Mathieu completed a BA (Honours) in Classics and Archaeology at Trent University in his hometown of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He went on to complete a Masters degree in Archaeology specializing in the Roman period at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.

Mat later moved to England in 2015 to start a career in commercial archaeology (fieldwork). During his time as an archaeologist the wonderful vernacular buildings he encountered across much of the country inspired him to complete a post-graduate diploma in Conservation of the Historic Environment part-time at BCU (Birmingham). He then worked as a heritage consultant before joining Buckinghamshire Council as an assistant heritage officer in 2023.