Blog, Themes
A whirlwind of activity at Dumfries House
Posted 19th May 2008 15:44pm by Mike Schafer
By Mike Schafer, Chief Executive of The Great Steward of Scotland’s Dumfries House Trust
Since taking up the reigns of Dumfries House in January, I have been caught up in a whirlwind of activity to prepare the house for the public opening in the summer. A great deal has been achieved since the house was purchased last year by the consortium, led by HRH The Prince of Wales, but there is still much more to do. We’re also very keen to involve the local community and recently held a public consultation on the plans for the development of related land.
The house itself is one of the most architecturally significant stately homes within the UK. It was designed by the renowned 18th Century architect brothers John, Robert and James Adam, and was built between 1754 and 1760 for the 5th Earl of Dumfries. What is of equal importance is the furniture collection, as here we hold the most important collection of works from Thomas Chippendale’s Director period.
Most of these pieces remain in their original position in the house and are all stunning items. No other museum or country house can match the content and quality of our collection and makes the preservation of Dumfries House even more pertinent for Scottish cultural history. The BBC will be filming an episode of the Antiques Roadshow here later in the year and I’m sure they’ll have plenty of delights to discover within the house alone.
It’s incredibly exciting to see the plans coming together and will be such a satisfying moment for all of us involved to see the first visitors come through the doors. I personally can’t wait for everyone to see with their own eyes just how special Dumfries House is…
Click here to visit The Great Steward of Scotland’s Dumfries House Trust website.
Turquoise Mountain: two years on
Posted 19th May 2008 15:23pm
By Rory Stewart, Chief Executive of Turquoise Mountain
The Prince of Wales and President Karzai established the Turquoise Mountain in late January 2006. I moved to Kabul a week later to set up the foundation. By the end of the month, we had rented the empty front room of a tailoring shop and hired one employee.
In 2008, we have over 250 staff. We have brought services, a clinic and a school to the community of Murad Khane (the old city area where we work), restored over 50 historic buildings, held international exhibitions and sold Afghan art on three continents. We have cleared 8000 trucks of garbage out of the old city, dropping the street level by seven feet and creating near total employment for every unemployed adult male in the area. We had 550 applicants for 30 places this year in our Institute. The Institute is now established as Afghanistan’s leading arts and crafts school, and we have been asked by the Minister of Education to redevelop other craft vocational schools in Kabul.
Only a year ago, odds seemed heavily against us. The old city was still scheduled for demolition, in line with a 1976 East German masterplan. Landlords were reluctant to let us repair their houses. Craft exports were crippled by logistical problems and high costs. Our tiny management team were young short-term volunteers. It was almost impossible to persuade architects or craftsmen to move to Kabul. At one point, we were within three weeks of running out of our money.
Now there is real confidence and energy. Each time I return from a trip I find a dozen unexpected and successful innovations. The Afghan government has registered the Institute and put a protection order on Murad Khane. The Canadian government has committed three million dollars to the project.
On each street corner in the old city, a thousand daily interactions combine trade and religion, public space and private space, female shoppers and traditional craft producers. Development in this neighbourhood and in the testing conditions of Afghanistan requires flexible funding procedures and managers who take quick decisions, are tolerant of risk, and support broad and comprehensive programs. These are difficult in an aid context increasingly dominated by bureaucracy, metrics, international committees and theory.
But they are not impossible.
We have succeeded in part because of The Prince of Wales, who pursued an opportunity in an environment which would have intimidated most international donors. He was prepared to trust the people on the ground and combine immediate private funding with longer-term government support.
We have been able to draw on the examples and knowledge of The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment, The Young Business Leaders Forum, The Prince’s Trust and The Prince’s School for Traditional Arts, and combine their different approaches in a single place with a single community. These diverse groups share a common confidence in historic communities, arts and cities, in culture as a transformative tool and in the practical importance of livelihoods, business and sustainability. This confidence is vital for Kabul.
But the real lesson of the last two years has been a lesson in humility. Insofar as we have survived and prospered, it has been because we have listened to our Afghan colleagues and the community of Murad Khane, and have been guided by their preferences and their solutions. Their know-how, tested by experience, has an agility, a power and a legitimacy which no foreign programme can match.
The Prince's Regeneration Trust welcomes new Chairman
Posted 29th August 2008 15:08pm
The Prince's Regeneration Trust, the charity of HRH The Prince of Wales which focuses on heritage-led regeneration, has appointed Ian Marcus as its new Chairman succeeding Andrew Hamilton who chaired the Trust for three years.
Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of The Prince’s Regeneration Trust, said ‘I am delighted with Ian’s appointment as Chairman and believe he will lead The Trust onto a very exciting future. Ian brings a wealth of experience and leadership from the property and financial sectors.
We look forward to working with Ian who we know will be an inspirational Chairman, building on the excellent work that Andrew Hamilton has done in the role over the past three years.’
Ian Marcus is Chairman of the European Real Estate Investment Banking Group at Credit Suisse, based in London and has been working in the banking industry for 28 years always focusing on the property industry. He is the Immediate Past President of the British Property Federation, Past Chairman of the Investment Forum and Chairman of the Bank of England Property Forum.
Ian Marcus said: 'It is a great honour to chair the PRT and build on the outstanding work of Andrew Hamilton. The Charity fulfils a vital role in ensuring many cherished and iconic properties are brought back into functional use. Even in these challenging times for the industry we need to ensure that regeneration remains at the forefront of the decision making process for owners, occupiers and developers'.
New volunteering opportunity at Turquoise Mountain
Posted 18th November 2008 16:31pm by Alison Duguid
Are you looking for a volunteering opportunity in Central Asia? The British charity Turquoise Mountain is looking for a volunteer for three months or more in its main office in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Work would most likely be office-based and involve a significant degree of administrative activity. The candidate should have a high degree of cultural sensitivity and an interest in Central Asia. Ideally she or he would also have an interest in urban regeneration in a post-conflict region, together with a university-level education. Accommodation, insurance and food is provided.
If you are interested, please email jobs@turquoisemountain.org, with an email headed 'Volunteer Position'. For more background information, visit Turquoise Mountain's website.
For other volunteering opportunities within The Prince's Charities, visit our Volunteering page.
BBC One Antiques Roadshow at Dumfries House
Posted 15th December 2008 18:00pm
Earlier this year the BBC One Antiques Roadshow team visited Dumfries House, filming for its 31st series. Fiona Bruce, the Roadshow's new presenter, was joined by some of Britain's leading antiques and fine arts specialists. Over 1500 visitors made their way to the event clutching family heirlooms and household treasures. Watch BBC One this Sunday, 21st December, to see Dumfries House featured on the programme.
Work at The Prince's Regeneration Trust for a Charity Next secondee
Posted 22nd December 2008 15:43pm by Sarah Fisher
It has been a really busy couple of months at The Prince’s Regeneration Trust. We purchased our first building! It’s the Old Duchy Palace in Lostwithiel, Cornwall, a fantastic Grade I listed medieval building. Meanwhile, we are working with a whole array of other buildings and communities up and down the UK, including a new project at Cleveland Pools in Bath, the only surviving Georgian pools in England.
A particular highlight for me was having the opportunity to spend a day observing an ‘Enquiry by Design’ where The Prince’s Regeneration Trust and The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment are working together with other organisations to masterplan the future use of a former military hospital and surrounding area. It was a fantastically hands-on event, with all sections of the local community getting involved. I came away really inspired by the enthusiasm, collaboration and creativity which will get this exciting, albeit highly challenging, project off the ground.
Meanwhile, my research into improving the environmental performance of listed buildings has taken me across the UK on visits to an ‘energy village’ in Essex, tenement buildings in Edinburgh and – somewhat closer to home – the London Transport Museum, where solar photovoltaic panels have been installed on the roof. While in Edinburgh, I also spent a day learning about work being done to support the supply and demand of traditional building materials and crafts, like Scottish roof-slating, carpentry and joinery and stonemasonry. It was fascinating to see how stonework is forensically examined at the Scottish Lime Centre to find an exact match for repairs and restoration work.
For now, though, I’m really looking forward to a relaxing Christmas break, and returning in the new year with batteries recharged!
The Prince of Wales's Graduate Fellowship Programme in Sustainable Architecture & Urbanism
Posted 22nd December 2008 17:46pm
There is a global skills shortage in urban design and green architecture. In response to this shortage, The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment has established a Graduate Fellowship to meet the need for the next generation of architects and designers who will evolve traditional architecture and urbanism in response to the global climate and urbanisation challenges. We believe that comprehensive and practical action is needed to train designers who can evolve traditional approaches to planning and designing in response to our contemporary ecological crisis.
The two-year paid fellowship involves placements at The Prince’s Foundation in London and with committed practitioners in the United Kingdom.
The 2008 Graduate Fellowship commenced in July and applications are now open for 2009. For more information and to apply please see:
The Prince of Wales’s Building Crafts Apprentices Programme
Posted 22nd December 2008 17:51pm
The Prince of Wales’s Building Crafts Apprentices scheme is an eight-month programme of applied study which offers building craftspeople the opportunity to enhance and advance their design knowledge and experience in traditional and sustainable building crafts.
The Prince of Wales’s Building Crafts Apprentices scheme offers talented, enthusiastic and committed craftspeople the opportunity to enhance their vocational skills with the design knowledge, work experience and coaching necessary to succeed in a career in the traditional building sector.
We are looking for building craftspeople who want to bridge the gap between basic qualifications and becoming a master craftsperson. Successful applicants will be rewarded with an eight-month programme of courses and work placements, during which they will be given the opportunity to develop their craftsmanship and use their skills in a broad, holistic building context alongside other building professionals.
The closing date for applications for the 2009 programme is 15th January 2009.
For more information, and to apply, please see http://www.princes-foundation.org/craftsapprentices
