Timber Building Conservation

Delivered by the Weald & Downland Living Museum and validated by the University of York

Specialist Courses for the Building Conservation Experts of the Future

Promoting lifelong learning and conservation is at the heart of the Museum’s objectives. We are a leading provider in specialist education and training in building conservation and historic building techniques offering two MSc programmes in Building Conservation and Timber Building Conservation.

Our nationally designated collection of historic buildings provides an unrivalled and unique teaching resource. Our lecturers are experts in their fields, giving students the opportunity to learn and benefit directly from their specialist knowledge and experiences.

Timber has been a valuable material in the past and will continue to be so in the future. To conserve and sustain its cultural importance, however, we need to fully understand it. The MSc at the Weald & Downland Living Museum provides you with the opportunity to learn from expert tutors and craftspeople, and gain new skills, knowledge and understanding to take forward into your future career. On completion you will never look at timber in the same way again!” Joe Thompson, MSc Programme Leader

Over the past 30 years, the conservation of historic buildings has gained great importance in the building and heritage industries both in the UK and overseas. Virtually every pre-modern building used timber in its construction, and there is a widespread need for conservators with specialist knowledge of timber and associated craft and repair techniques.

Established by specialists in the field, the MSc in Timber Building Conservation has a long history at the Weald & Downland Living Museum. It is suitable for students and mid-career professionals seeking to develop or enhance an academic or professional specialism in the conservation of timber buildings.

Previous students have gone on to become specialist conservation architects, surveyors, engineers and crafts people.

Course Content The course covers the following topics:

Timber-frames and their regional and chronological variations

Timber science and decay

Timber-framing systems

Conservation process, site and workshop practice and associated materials

Conservation of structural timber

Conservation of non-structural timber

Capstone research project – dissertation

Previous students have come from a wide range of professional and craft backgrounds and include surveyors, architects, archaeologists, carpenters, engineers, specialist builders and heritage project managers.

Course Structure The course consists of 6 taught modules plus one dissertation module taken over a 2-year period.

The 6 taught modules run for 5 days (Wednesday to Sunday), allowing students to balance work and other commitments. Module 7 is the Capstone Research Project, which is presented for examination as a dissertation.

Applications are now open for the 2025-2027 cohort