Heritage Now

HERITAGE NOW (01/2021) AUTUMN 2021   29 THE YOUNG ONES Changing course from dystopian futures to valuing our past In truth, I found out about historic conservation almost entirely by scrawling through LinkedIn and Googling various heritage professionals and following their training and experience. Looking back, it seems a little mercenary but at that point I had thought it would be impossible to work in anything adjacent to architecture or the built environment considering I had, until then, studied Classics. Armed with better understanding I took the initiative to retrain and combine my love of heritage and material culture with conservation. Despite having a casual interest in history and architecture Felix Charteris had no plans for a career in building conservation. It was a quarter life crisis that focused his mind on his future prospects. Here Felix explains what sparked his interests in buildings and maps out his route to being awarded the prestigious Institute of Historic Building Conservation Gus Astley Student Award.