Alison is a registered architect with some 30 years’ experience, specialising in work to historic buildings. She is also an RIBA Accredited Conservation Architect. Having worked in London for a major conservation practice, including five years as project architect for the conversion of Somerset House for the Courtauld Institute of Art, she had a short career break to start her family, during which she worked as a curatorial assistant at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, Singleton. Her work there included the survey, analysis and historical research of the Building Components Collection.

Following a post as project architect with a conservation practice in West Sussex, sixteen years ago she set up her own conservation practice based at Hatherland Mill Farm in Mid Devon. The practice’s work covers the West Country (with the occasional foray further afield) and there is a real feel for historic buildings. Alison is an active committee member of the Devon Buildings Group and also holds memberships of the leading conservation organisations including the IHBC and SPAB. The RIBA has recognised the excellence of the practice with the award of Chartered Practice status.

Alison’s work includes the award winning scheme at Kestle Barton on the Lizard in Cornwall, which received the RIBA Conservation Award and was commended for navigating “with great skill between restoration and contemporary intervention ….. What characterises both strategies is a profound understanding of the materiality of building…Design drawings were produced almost exclusively by hand and this methodical draughting process is likely to be at the root of the innate, practical and poetic understanding of place that the scheme so beautifully demonstrates”.