Background
Charles was boen in 1959, in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Charles was boen in 1959, in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
The following description takes the form of an interview with Charles undertaken in 2016.
Q: What made you go into architecture?
A: Well, it wasn’t an obvious career choice for me. It took me a long time to work out exactly what I wanted to do as I didn’t find school very easy and spent a lot of time messing about, playing sport and avoiding academic work. I had what could be called a complicated childhood culminating in the death of my Dad in my mid-teens. Despite having such a “posh” name my background was quite humble being very "semi-detached and suburban". I was lucky to win a place at one of the excellent grammar schools in Birmingham where history, music and art really captured my imagination. I began to struggle especially after the death of my father but was helped considerably by the local vicar and his family and managed to scrape through into the sixth form. With hindsight, my teenage years were extremely difficult, but in a profound way it probably enabled me to empathise with students when I eventually settled into an academic career. I have always been interested in outsiders either as groups or individuals and have always been especially committed to diversity and equality. Incidentally, I was recently diagnosed with mild autism which has helped put some of these things in a proper context. My psychologist says my effective coping mechanisms developed as a child meant that my condition has remained undiagnosed and not always been apparent. I think it’s good that mental health issues and what might wrongly be described as “learning difficulties” are being discussed more openly these days.
Q: How did you end up working with buildings?
A: I took some careers advice in the early 1980s and approached a well known firm of chartered surveyors in Sheffield that turned out to be brave enough to take me on in the middle of a recession! I didn’t settle and the following year I started a part time job working specifically on historic buildings with the Archaeological Unit at the South Yorkshire County Council where I was much happier. Eventually my post became full time and I landed on my feet in 1986 when I was given a permanent position based in Doncaster.
Q. What sort of work did this involve?
A: Well, with the County Council I was primarily involved with recording, measuring and drawing historic buildings. Sometimes it was systematic surveys of specific building types such as cruck-frames or cinemas. Other times it might be listed buildings case-work which eventually took up most of my time when I was based in Doncaster. Two of the largest projects I was involved with were the Duchy of Lancaster castle at Tickhill and an English Heritage castle nearby at Conisbrough.
Q: What was your role at Tickhill?
A: Essentially, I was in charge of recording the castle stone-by-stone in advance of extensive repairs. Our 1:20 drawings were used for applying for scheduled monument consent and formed the basis for the repair specification. It was during the project that we explored different methods for capping off the walls and experimented with lime mortars before it became “all the rage”. It was on the strength of the work at Tickhill that I became involved with the neighbouring castle at Conisbrough.
Q. What was your involvement at Conisbrough?
A: It was very different to Tickhill. My role as manager of the Conisbrough project coincided with ambitious plans to run the castle locally by means of a trust. The trust in turn, had access to European funding to build a visitor centre which was fraught with controversy and featured in Prince Charles’s Vision of Britain where it was described as a carbuncle! It had been designed using early CAD programmes and involved pre-fabrication and a concrete raft to prevent archaeological damage. More interesting was the work on the stone keep which had new floors and a roof installed in about 1991. It was immediately prior to this programme of work that I met John Ashurst , the renowned stone specialist from English Heritage. With my Geology degree I wasn’t expecting to learn much from an architect masquerading as a stone specialist and he only spent a few minutes looking at our stone problems at Conisbrough. However, I was very impressed a few weeks later when his report came through complete with an accurate diagnosis, comprehensive prognosis and full support for our proposals for the roof and floors.
Q. You worked with John Ashurst, didn’t you?
A: Well, I was so impressed with the report that John had written that I asked him for some careers advice and he suggested that I undertake architectural training to compliment what was then nearly 10 years of experience of working with historic buildings. I had similar advice from Professor Ken Murtha at Sheffield University who offered me a place to study Architecture as a mature student. Ken was keen for me to explore the relationship between design and the context of historic buildings as he thought it would stretch me intellectually. This was all in the context of the Prince’s recent book and involved exploring the eternal question about whether things should “blend in” and so I decided to adopt a philosophy based on looking at each building/ intervention on a case-by-case basis and to avoid too much dogma. This position has led me into occasional conflicts with the more conservative approach of some conservation professionals. I have never come to blows with anyone from SPAB (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings) but have chosen to keep a discrete distance. I was reluctant to join IHBC (Institute of Historic Building Conservation) but they twisted my arm!
My graduation from the architecture degree coincided rather conveniently with the launch of some brand new courses John Ashurst was developing at the fledgling university of Bournemouth and so I joined what was to become their award winning Department of Conservation Science.
Q. Was this when you first became an academic?
A: I suppose so, in a formal sense but I had always been involved with writing and giving talks/lectures. I think my first formal lectures related to local history and were delivered whilst I was with the County Archaeological Service via the WEA (Workers Education Association). These would have been at the Barnsley Miners’ Institute back in the days immediately before the miners’ strike. My first publication was an article about a group of timber-frame buildings in Shiregreen, Sheffield published in the proceedings of the Hunter Archaeological Society around the same time!
Q. Was your job at Bournemouth as a lecturer?
A: I did deliver lectures but our roles were flexible and we were expected to engage with research and consultancy work. I developed an interest in mortars and offered specialist advice on stone replacement whilst part of the team at Bournemouth. Some of the work that John Ashurst attracted was very glamorous including some work that fell my way as a result of the terrible fire at Windsor Castle in 1994.
Q. What specialist services did you provide?
A: We had very well equipped laboratories which enabled me to undertake mortar analysis and devise specifications for replacement and repairs. We also had a polarising petrological microscope and a machine for grinding “thin sections” that enabled me to undertake accurate stone-matching repairs for buildings as diverse as Salisbury Cathedral and the Customs house at Zanzibar! I also worked on issues facing the repair of remote buildings within National Parks and undertook significant fieldwork for the British Council in a park in Portugal.
Q. Why did you leave Bournemouth?
A: It became complicated. Not least some serious rivalries amongst senior academics and considerable resentment towards the success of John’s “team”. We held a secret meeting at the Haven Hotel at Sandbanks and devised an exit strategy. I was actually amongst the first to leave and moved to Huddersfield University to help develop similar courses to those we had been running in Bournemouth.
Q. When did you start at Huddersfield?
A: It was in the mid 1990s, but the conservation course in Huddersfield was also short-lived and I was asked to help merge the suite of courses including an HND in Construction into a single degree programme in Architectural Technology. The AT course was the first of its kind to be recognised/accredited by what was eventually to become CIAT (Chartered Institute of Architectural Technology). We also managed to keep a strong conservation emphasis by including refurbishment schemes and my own specific module in Building Pathology.
Q. How come you have been at Huddersfield for so long?
A: I am very proud to have had a long association with the University and the town. Looking back, the first few years were quite tough until I found my “stride” and I was tempted by a move in 2006. I actually left the university but had second-thoughts and had to negotiate a return with the Dean! This “wobble” was important to me and gave me a new impetus and stronger sense of commitment to Huddersfield. On my return I served on the Senate for the next five years as the University started to make substantial changes and realigning so that world-leading research will be at the heart of all that we do.
Q. Are you “Research Active”?
A: Yes, I have always been “curious” and have been publishing regularly over the last ten years. I have opted for my articles to be published in the journals and magazines of the professional bodies to guarantee maximum impact within the construction industry. My research was initially limited to the rediscovery of traditional materials (as a part of a more sustainable approach to traditional buildings) but more recently I have been exploring the interplay between old buildings and wider ecological issues and ecosystems. My exploration of the relationship between spiders and woodworm has been particularly well received.
Q. Are you a member of any professional bodies and why are you not an architect?
Good question. Well, I have architectural training and took the RIBA Part 1, but I have never wanted to be an architect as I have always though it a profession for “generalists”. I have always regarded myself as an historic building specialist but I have a great respect for architects and project managers. The first professional body I joined is now known as the Chartered Association of Building Engineers. I was asked to join by a building control officer who had worked with me on many buildings in Doncaster during the 1980s. I like to publish my work in their journal (Building Engineer) which has an excellent reputation with a wide circulation of about 800 and a pedigree that stretches back to 1926. I am in the process of becoming a Fellow once I have got my CPD up-to-date!
Q. I have seen your writings elsewhere, where else do you publish?
A: “Impact” is going to be taken very seriously in the next REF (Research Excellence Framework) exercise. This five-yearly exercise effects university funding and positions in the various league tables. This is why I like to publish in the professional journals whenever possible. I have a long term commitment to sustainability and enjoy the magazine Green Building which is another place you may have seen my articles including a recent one about the relationship between oak trees and the technology of traditional timber conversion using water power.
I became a member of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation about 15 years ago and occasionally have pieces published in their excellent journal “Context”. As a member of CIAT (Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists) I have written a couple of articles for the house magazine, AT. I have also written regularly for the journal Building Engineer. Most of my articles can be found on Research Gate.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Charles_Hippisley-Cox
Q: There have been a lot of changes during your 20 years at the University. How have you survived?
A: No change is easy, but from my time on the Senate I came to realise that the University had a great opportunity to respond to the difficult challenges in the HE sector and that it was going to mean some tough decisions and involve strong decisive leadership.
It’s been astonishing to see the changes here at Huddersfield over the last few years and I am very pleased that I decided to stay and play a small part in this transformation. 2013 was a big year for us with Architectural Technology as the top of course of its kind in the National Student Satisfaction Survey and the University as Times Higher Education University of the Year. Since then the awards have been flooding in; Educate North’s New University of the year 2015, Times Entrepreneurial University of the Year, the Queens Award for Enterprise Promotion, and a four star rating from International Students.
In addition to which, our Vice-Chancellor Prof. Bob Cryan has personally been responsible for winning a number of leadership awards as he has helped us navigate into this new territory. Incidentally, we are the only university in the UK where all our academic staff are members of the Higher Education Academy reflecting our on-going commitment to teaching as well as our research.
Q: What aspects of your work have been the most rewarding?
A: Well, it’s always nice to drive passed buildings and through conservation areas where there have been significant improvements, but without any doubt my greatest satisfactions comes from the 500 or so graduates I have had the pleasure of “launching”! It’s a real joy to me that so many of them still keep in touch. It’s not just the “high fliers” working for Historical England or those with thriving practices, but also those who have followed different paths. I like to think that a degree is much more than “training” for a specific job, but more like a part of a journey and it’s a real privilege to have played a part in so many young lives.
I am particularly proud of the Architectural Technology course especially for what we used to call the “value added” score which measured the progress of students from “diverse” backgrounds! We had one of the highest scores in the university which was greatly encouraging especially when combined with the course consistently being in the top three nationally for student satisfaction. I hold firmly to the philosophy that a course is only as strong as the weakest student and have always enjoyed working alongside those who might be struggling.
Q. What about the future?
A: The changes made around the time I served on the Senate paved the way for a series of five year plans that will transform the University. In our specific department we have made a conscious decision to expand our Built Environment research and have recently launched three research centres: Innovative Design Lab, Global Disaster and Resilience Centre, and the Centre for Urban Design Architecture and Sustainability (CUDAS). We have devised the centres to foster the research culture. We have also appointed some new staff with rapidly developing research profiles to create some momentum and to create a fertile context for our own “home-grown” early career researchers. I attended the launch of the new research centres and have become a member of CUDAS. There are signs of early fruit, but the real dividends will be after my impending retirement.
(As a historic building specialist, my research is current...)
Q: Has religion been important to you?
A: Not always. I believed in God as a youngster, but it all seemed very distant and irrelevant in my mid-teens. It was through the kindness of the family I mentioned that I came to be a “believer” in a fuller sense. I would describe myself as a committed Christian since that very hot summer back in 1976!
After studying Geology for my first degree, the church sent me Oxford as a theological student with a view to ordination as an Anglican priest. I was very young and didn’t last long at Oxford, taking a gap year.... and I never went back! I am still involved church-wise but only as a lay-person! My faith is still very important to me and I have always been very interested in politics turning down an offer to join the Young Conservatives in my teens and feeling more comfortable “on the left”!
Q: Are you interested in other religions?
A: Yes, very much so. I am particularly proud of the empathy I have always had with my Muslim students. Although there important differences, I have a great respect for other faiths. I am always very touched when I have Christmas greetings from my Islamic students and will return the greetings at Eid. I sometimes fast too...which surprises them!
