Tower and Town, June 2021 (view the full edition)Pippa Card - Conservation OfficerMy interest in historic buildings started as a child. I grew up in Germany in the 1980s and we would spend summers in Venice, travelling through historic Bavarian and Alpine villages to get there. I visited Berlin and climbed the leaning tower in Pisa before I had even visited London. Back in England there were many visits to National Trust properties. Having obtained BA in History of Art and Architecture I worked for the National Trust at Chirk Castle. One day we had to go up to the servants' quarters hidden behind the parapet, climb through a small door within the wall panelling and scramble over the roof trusses of one of the 13th century castle's towers simply to find the winch to lower the chandelier over the main staircase for cleaning! That really opened my eyes to the structure of a building. I left the National Trust and after a while working within the History Faculty at Oxford University, I started my career in local Government. So, for nearly 13 years I have been a conservation officer covering the Marlborough area advising on the upkeep, repair and alteration of listed buildings. I like helping people and am here to give impartial advice. It saddens and frustrates me when people have been misled and given the wrong advice. Many people are wary of coming to the Council for advice, but I do receive positive feedback and it makes it worthwhile when you know you have helped someone. Marlborough itself is quite a wonder and a big plus of my job is getting to go inside many of its wonderful buildings, often parts that the public will never see. The discovery of that hidden gem, be it a fantastic 16th century staircase or a small rabbit carved into a stone wall, just captures my imagination. Unpicking the past is part of the job and the mysteries these buildings can give rise to satisfies my curiosity. The common misconception about conservation officers is that we always say no! Actually, most of the time I will say yes! It might have to be a reconsidered scheme, but the majority of applications I deal with will have a positive decision. It is hard to tell people no, but a lot of the time there is a solution, and collaboration and creative thinking can actually achieve a more successful outcome than initially proposed. We are not here to mothball the past, but to manage change, and that can be approached in different ways - there is never one right answer, although there may be one more appropriate or sympathetic. What I really relish are the projects that have scope to do something a little different. That is not to take away from the traditionally designed, sympathetic extension to a building, but I love the juxtaposition of traditional and modern and when designed and executed well, it can really bring dynamism to the historic building's core and add another dimension to the history and story of a building. The frustrating thing about my job is not getting to see the final result because many are within private homes. Marlborough is a wonderful town to work in, as there is always something going on in the public realm where I can see the results of projects I have been involved in. The Bridge Garage will be a big change and visual improvement, so I long for the day that that project is completed, but there are many examples within Marlborough I could list - how the 'new' steps to the Town Hall have mellowed over the last 10 years so naturally they appear part of the original building; the modern extension to the rear of the White Horse Bookshop; the eagerly anticipated cinema on The Parade within the former United Reform Chapel, all of which are projects that support the town and its people whilst sustaining the future of the building. If I had to pick my favourite building in Marlborough, it would be the Chapel at Marlborough College, simply because it contains Morris & Co stained glass, another interest of mine.  The modern extension at the rear of the White Horse Bookshop an example of the juxtaposition of traditional and modern designed and executed well. Pippa Card |