Heritage Buildings Podcast

🎙️ You can also access the full Audio version of this Podcast by searching for 'Heritage Buildings Podcast' on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, PocketCasts, and your favourite podcast apps.
Welcome to the Heritage Buildings Podcast!
In this episode, Vincent Reed sits down with Nigel Castell, an experienced gilder and antique restoration specialist, to explore the traditional craft of water gilding and gold leaf application.
Nigel shares his journey into antique restoration at just 17 and explains how he learned traditional gilding skills through hands-on, bench-based training. He takes us through the complete water gilding process, from preparing wood and applying rabbit skin size and gesso, to sanding, gesso cutting, preparing clay bole, laying gold leaf, and finally burnishing with agate stones.
The conversation also explores the differences between water gilding and oil gilding, the tools and materials used by traditional gilders, the challenges of working with gold leaf, and why these specialist craftsmanship skills are becoming increasingly rare.
Topics covered include:
• Nigel's journey into antique restoration and traditional gilding
• Learning gilding techniques at the bench
• Preparing wood, gesso, and rabbit skin size
• Gesso application, sanding, and cutting
• Yellow ochre and traditional clay bole
• Preparing and applying gold leaf
• Traditional gilding tools and techniques
• Water gilding vs oil gilding
• Repairing and gilding carved decorative details
• Burnishing gold with agate stones
• The time, skill, and cost involved in traditional gilding
• Preserving traditional craftsmanship and heritage skills
Whether you're a gilder, conservator, antique restorer, architect, heritage professional, or simply interested in traditional craftsmanship, this episode offers a fascinating insight into the techniques and expertise behind traditional water gilding, gold leaf, and historic restoration.
Below is a more detailed breakdown of the video with relevant timestamps
(Click the time on the left to jump straight to that section)
00:00 Podcast Welcome
01:17 Meet Nigel Castell
01:47 How He Started
04:37 Learning at the Bench
08:41 Gilding Process Overview
09:41 Cleaning and Prep
10:58 Rabbit Skin Size Basics
14:31 Thin White Primer
17:36 Hot Gesso Application
28:45 Coats and Period Styles
33:59 Sanding and Gesso Cutting
35:52 Puttying and Abrasives
38:46 Wet Sanding Gesso
40:21 Matte Finish for Gilding
42:35 Sealing Coat Yellow Ochre
44:22 Matching Period Yellows
48:54 Bole and Clay Basics
52:26 Applying Gold Size Coats
59:34 Sanding and Buffing Bole
01:04:25 Water vs Oil Gilding
01:12:51 Proper Gold Leaf Handling
01:15:42 Gold Leaf Book Basics
01:17:37 Gilding Cushion Setup
01:18:39 Gilding Knife Cutting
01:20:06 Handheld Tool Workflow
01:23:44 Wetting and Laying Gold
01:29:28 Overlaps and Fault Repairs
01:30:21 Gilding Carved Details
01:32:25 Costs and Time Reality
01:33:12 Burnishing with Agate
01:41:19 Craft Preservation Wrap-Up
Connect with Nigel Castell using the links below:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-castell-82a82a337/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/butler_and_castell_restoration/
https://www.instagram.com/reepham_antiques/
Website: www.butlerandcasstell.co.uk
🔗 Learn more about the Heritage Buildings Association
https://heritagebuildingsassociation.com
Click here to join the conversation:
https://heritagebuildings.forum/share
👉 Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share this video to support the heritage buildings community!
#Gilding #GoldLeaf #GildingTechniques

🎙️ You can also access the full Audio version of this Podcast by searching for 'Heritage Buildings Podcast' on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, PocketCasts, and your favourite podcast apps.
Welcome to the Heritage Buildings Podcast! In this episode, Vincent Reed sits down with Pierre Bidaud, an experienced French stonemason, heritage conservation specialist, and advocate for innovative stone construction.
Pierre shares his journey from joining Les Compagnons du Devoir to spending nine years travelling across France and the UK, restoring some of Europe's most important historic buildings, including Gloucester Cathedral. Along the way, he discusses the craftsmanship, precision, and passion behind traditional stonemasonry and heritage restoration.
Discover how historic stone buildings are repaired using centuries-old techniques, from setting out and templating to hand-carving decorative details and assessing natural stone. Pierre also explores how modern engineering is transforming the industry through post-tensioned stone, prefabrication, and sustainable products like Rock Block and Augmented Stone, helping shape the future of low-carbon construction.
Topics covered include:
• Pierre's journey through Les Compagnons du Devoir
• Restoring historic buildings including Gloucester Cathedral
• Traditional stonemasonry and architectural stone carving
• Stone setting out, templating, and repair techniques
• Assessing natural stone and conservation best practices
• The emotional connection between craftspeople and historic buildings
• Post-tensioned and prefabricated structural stone
• Sustainable stone construction and low-carbon building materials
• Rock Block, Augmented Stone, and the future of natural stone
Whether you're a stonemason, architect, conservation professional, heritage enthusiast, or simply fascinated by traditional building crafts, this episode offers valuable insights into both the timeless skills and exciting innovations shaping the world of heritage construction.

Below is a more detailed breakdown of the video with relevant timestamps
(Click the time on the left to jump straight to that section)
00:00 Who is Pierre Bidaud
00:19 Finding a Trade in France
01:58 Compagnons Journey Years
05:16 Cathedrals and Craft Mindset
07:16 How French Heritage Works
13:30 Apprenticeship Reality Check
16:14 Becoming Pro and Advising
18:38 Setting Out and Templates
25:15 Stone Selection and Faults
30:44 Repairs and Architect Education
34:20 Reinforced Stone Innovation
36:24 Stone vs Concrete Explained
41:58 Floating Stone Staircases
43:21 Sagrada Familia Stone Towers
44:27 Rebar and Post Tensioning
45:51 Why Stone Got Expensive
49:06 Concrete Creep vs Stone
51:40 Georgian Torsion Stairs
54:26 Modern Cable Stair Build
57:10 Company USP and Origins
59:17 Rock Block and Augmented
01:05:23 Stone Demonstrator London
01:06:37 Screen Share Staircase Tour
01:12:10 Teamwork Love and Challenges
01:15:50 Stone Collective and Farewell

Connect with Pierre Bidaud using the links below:
Website: www.thestonemasonrycompany.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pierre-bidaud-82364b16/
Company: The Stonemasonry Company Limited
Email: Pierre@thestonemasonrycompany.co.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stonemasonry_comp_stonestair/
https://www.instagram.com/pierre.bidaud/

*🔗 Learn more about the Heritage Buildings Association*
https://heritagebuildingsassociation.com
*Click here to join the conversation:*
https://heritagebuildings.forum/share/dDYOnkLWJAkaA5xE?utm_source=manual

👉 Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share this podcast to support the heritage buildings community!

#Stonemasonry #StoneCarving #NaturalStone

🎙️ You can also access the full Audio version of this Podcast by searching for 'Heritage Buildings Podcast' on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, PocketCasts, and your favourite podcast apps.
Welcome to another episode of the Heritage Buildings Podcast.
Vincent Reed sits down with Nicholas Downing of Downing Arts, a Maine-based custom blacksmith and metalworker specialising in traditional timber framing tools, hand-forged axes, bespoke ironwork, and historic hardware. Nicholas shares his journey from early exposure to blacksmithing and metalsmithing to helping revive Maine’s historic axe-making tradition at Brant & Cochran before launching his own business during the COVID pandemic.
The conversation explores traditional blacksmithing techniques, the history of bloomery iron and early steel, forge welding, and the craftsmanship behind multi-piece, hand-forged axes. Nicholas also discusses experimental archaeology, historic timber framing tools, and his fascination with rare forms such as the offset goose wing, or “brightbill,” hewing axe.
Other topics covered include:
• The path from metalsmithing to custom blacksmithing and entrepreneurship
• Reviving Maine’s historic axe-making tradition
• Building a small-batch handcrafted tool business through Etsy and online sales
• Traditional ironworking, bloomery iron, and early steel production
• Forge welding and constructing multi-piece hand-forged axes
• Historic timber framing tools and their modern relevance
• Experimental archaeology and recreating historic metalworking techniques
• The design and use of the offset goose wing (“brightbill”) hewing axe
• Craftsmanship, toolmaking, and preserving traditional trades
Whether you're a timber framer, blacksmith, conservation professional, or heritage enthusiast, this episode offers fascinating insights into traditional toolmaking and the enduring value of handcrafted tools and historic metalworking techniques.
Below is a more detailed breakdown of the video with relevant timestamps:
(Click the time on the left to jump straight to that section)
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
02:37 Heritage Craft in Maine
04:02 Early Blacksmith Spark
06:24 Mentors and Apprenticeship
08:06 Art School and Finding Direction
10:12 Back to the Forge
20:31 Juggling Jobs and Studio Life
25:49 Axes and Brant and Cochran
33:32 Pandemic Pivot to Solo
37:08 Bespoke Tools and Inspiration
41:30 Iron Was Precious
43:21 Bloomery Smelting Explained
46:02 From Iron To Steel
49:03 Modern Axe Steel Choices
51:27 Forge Welding The Pieces
53:03 Wrapped Eye Construction
56:12 Time Risk And Failure
57:01 Favourite Axe Makers
59:26 Future Projects And Niches
01:05:47 Grinding Edges Then And Now
01:09:06 Handmade Value And Story
01:10:54 Goose Wing Hewing Axe
01:13:56 Where To Find Nicholas
01:15:28 Final Thanks And Farewell

Connect with Nicholas Downing and learn more:
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/downingarts/
Email: downingarts@gmail.com
Website: https://www.downingarts.com/axerestoration

Learn more about the Heritage Buildings Association:
https://heritagebuildingsassociation.com
Join the conversation:
https://heritagebuildings.forum/share/dDYOnkLWJAkaA5xE?utm_source=manual

#Blacksmith #ForgeLife #IronAge

*🎙️ You can also access the full Audio version of this Podcast by searching for 'Heritage Buildings Podcast' on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, PocketCasts, and your favourite podcast apps.*

Welcome to another episode of the Heritage Buildings Podcast.
Vincent Reed sits down with Mariachiara Faliva, accredited conservation architect and façade specialist, to explore the science behind historic buildings, material decay, and the investigative work required to understand why buildings fail. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience in conservation, diagnostics, and failure analysis, Mariachiara shares how studying chemistry for conservation in Italy led her into building pathology, laboratory analysis, and the study of historic materials. She explains why many conservation challenges stem from poor diagnosis and incompatible repairs, and why successful interventions begin with understanding how materials behave and deteriorate over time.
Mariachiara also reflects on her work investigating historic structures in New York, including early steel-frame masonry buildings and terracotta façades, before moving to London to specialize in building performance and façade engineering. She discusses the importance of balancing repair and replacement, the role of maintenance in preventing water-driven damage, and how tools such as WUFI hydrothermal analysis support informed retrofit decisions. Through projects including Tate Liverpool and the Barbican renewal, she highlights the value of early-stage investigations, data-led design, material reuse, and collaboration across disciplines to deliver more sustainable outcomes for historic buildings.

*Other topics covered include:*

• How chemistry and material science support building conservation
• Investigating historic materials through laboratory analysis
• Why poor diagnosis often leads to failed repairs
• The challenges of conserving early steel-frame masonry buildings
• Repair versus replacement in historic façades
• Water ingress, moisture movement, and long-term building deterioration
• The role of maintenance in preventing costly failures
• Building performance testing and façade engineering for heritage projects
• WUFI hydrothermal analysis and retrofit risk assessment
• Lessons from Tate Liverpool and the Barbican renewal projects
• Planning for material reuse in conservation and retrofit projects
• The importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration from project inception

Whether you're an architect, engineer, conservation professional, or heritage enthusiast, this episode offers valuable insights into the investigative side of conservation and how a deeper understanding of materials, moisture, and building performance can lead to more sustainable and effective preservation of historic buildings.

*Below is a more detailed breakdown of the video with relevant timestamps:*
(Click the time on the left to jump straight to that section)
00:00 Introduction to Building Conservation and Heritage Retrofit
01:14 From Architecture to Conservation Architecture
03:23 Materials Science, Building Diagnostics, and Failure Analysis
07:34 Conservation Research at Politecnico di Milano
09:33 Facade Engineering and Historic Buildings in New York
13:35 Terracotta Facade Repair vs Replacement
17:33 Building Maintenance Lessons from Historic Building Failures
20:14 Moving to London and Transition into Building Performance
25:03 How Historic Building Investigations Are Conducted
32:06 Holistic Retrofit Design and WUFI Analysis
38:18 Moisture Modelling and Wall Performance Simulation
40:59 Data-Led Design for Heritage Buildings
43:39 Writing Effective Building Investigation Briefs
45:09 Tate Liverpool Retrofit and Internal Insulation Project
49:42 Barbican Estate Renewal and Conservation Challenges
54:30 Why Site Experience Matters in Conservation
57:07 Material Reuse and Circular Economy Strategies
01:02:42 Career Advice for Conservation Professionals
01:07:22 Final Thoughts and Closing Remarks

*Connect with Mariachiara Faliva and learn more:*

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariachiara-faliva-510a0915/
Email: chiarafaliva@gmail.com
Website: sandberg.co.uk

*Learn more about the Heritage Buildings Association:*
https://heritagebuildingsassociation.com

*Join the conversation:*
https://heritagebuildings.forum/share/dDYOnkLWJAkaA5xE?utm_source=manual

#BuildingConservation #HistoricPreservation #FacadeEngineering

*🎙️ You can also access the full Audio version of this Podcast by searching for 'Heritage Buildings Podcast' on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, PocketCasts, and your favourite podcast apps.*
Welcome to another episode of the Heritage Buildings Podcast.
Vincent Reed sits down with Valeria Passetti, Italian-born conservation architect and MD of Conception Architects, to explore her journey from studying restoration in Florence to leading a UK practice focused on historic churches and Victorian architecture. She explains why these buildings are often misunderstood and celebrates their craftsmanship in stone and timber.
Valeria also shares insights into conservation practice, from building a reputation through church projects to setting ethical client boundaries and promoting breathable, sustainable retrofits. A must-watch for anyone passionate about heritage, architecture, and historic buildings.
*Other topics covered include:*
• Why Victorian architecture deserves more recognition
• The evolution of conservation architecture in the UK
• Breathable buildings vs airtight retrofits
• Church conservation and diocesan work
• Craftsmanship in stone, wood, and traditional materials
• Portland cement, terracotta, and Victorian innovation
• Ethical practice and working with clients
• Building a reputation in heritage architecture
• Architects in media and public education
Whether you're an architecture student, conservation professional, or heritage enthusiast, this episode offers valuable insight into preserving historic buildings for future generations.

*Below is a more detailed breakdown of the video with relevant timestamps
Click the time on the left to jump straight to that section*

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
00:49 From Tuscany to UK Conservation
02:35 Why Victorian Architecture Matters
04:08 Victorian Style Abroad
07:57 Choosing Conservation Architecture
10:51 Early Career and Reuse Ethos
14:02 Founding Conception Architects
19:32 Building Reputation and Clients
22:07 Ethics and Client Boundaries
25:36 Breathable Buildings and Retrofit
29:19 Victorian Churches Everywhere
32:14 Industrial Innovation and Portland Cement
38:19 Craftsmanship in Stone and Wood
42:34 Eclectic Victorian Creativity
45:52 Color, Ritual and High Church
48:33 Valuing Victorian Craftsmen
50:12 Victorian Rosewood Room
52:26 Rubbed Bricks and Terracotta
53:35 Damage from Bad Repairs
58:56 Custodianship and Breathable Buildings
01:00:44 Media Work and New Voices
01:05:51 Dream Show Pitch
01:08:09 Favorite Projects and Newton Church
01:15:04 Why Architecture Matters
01:19:15 Where to Find Valeria
01:21:48 Off Mic Wrap and Collaboration

*Connect with Valeria Passetti and learn more:*

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/valeria-passetti-osi-friba-192525a
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riba4members/
Website: conceptionarchitects.com riba4members.com

*Learn more about the Heritage Buildings Association:*
https://heritagebuildingsassociation.com

*Join the conversation:*
https://heritagebuildings.forum/share/dDYOnkLWJAkaA5xE?utm_source=manual

#VictorianArchitecture #ConservationArchitect #ChurchRestoration