Building Craft Programme Trainee at Kenderchurch

Perched on a mound overlooking the busy A465 road, St Mary’s church had been closed for 15 years before it came into our care in 2023. Fast forward to today, the church is now bustling with craftspeople of all trades who have been on site for nearly eight months, working day by day — through some of the wettest weather, to secure St Mary’s future.

From urgent repairs to the roof, to replastering the internal walls, an extensive programme of repairs at Kenderchurch involves various traditional conservation skills, bringing to the project a team of traditional conservation specialists, including stonemasons, slate roofers, plasterers, carpenters, an architect, archaeologist, structural engineer, ecologist and more.

The future of traditional craftsmanship is of great importance to The Friends, as it is to many of the people with whom we work. The Jones & Fraser team are particularly diligent in supporting apprentices and extremely generous with their time and expertise. Earlier this year, three trainees from The King’s Foundation’s Building Craft and Conservation Programme spent several weeks with the team. We caught up with Daryl Haines, carpenter, who joined the team at St Mary’s, as part of his training.

Founded and led by The King’s Foundation, The Building Craft and Conservation Programme is a 9-month programme aimed at young people with an interest in traditional conservation techniques. It supports those working in the construction and craft sector to develop their skills and continue on their journey to becoming the next generation of master craftspeople.

Earlier this month, we asked Daryl about his experience of the programme and his time at St Mary's church.

Q: Tell us about yourself and what you’re doing with The King’s Foundation?

My name is Daryl. I’m a carpenter, and I’m currently on the Kings Foundation’s Building Craft Programme. I’m doing a placement with Jones & Fraser at a church in Herefordshire — where we are right now.

Q: What attracted you to training in heritage skills?

I love old buildings, and doing repair work and conservation work is an opportunity to learn from other craftspeople. Working in old buildings, I get a chance to work with multiple trades at the same time, because in old buildings you are much more likely to get different tradesmen working together.

Q: What’s been your biggest challenge in training so far?

Moving around all the time! Every month, I will be going to a different job and having to resettle somewhere. Obviously, at this time of year, it isn’t the easiest time to be working outside in the cold… but everyone is in the same boat, and people get on with it.

Q: Is there anything that has surprised you about the world of building conservation?

I was working on more new builds, so I’m finding out that in the conservation world, the pace of work is slower. I guess it’s a pleasant surprise that there is a respect and appreciation of the fact that things just take a longer time in conservation. It’s nice to see that most of the places you work, the companies respect the people doing the work and them making decisions on the right way of doing something.

Q: What have you enjoyed most about working at Kenderchurch?

It’s nice that it’s towards the end of the project and getting to see all the loose ends getting tied up. We have been sorting out the final timber repairs that haven’t been done yet, and we have the floor and the ceiling left to do.

Q: What advice would you give to someone interested in working in this field?

Just carry on, it’s a long path of learning, and you know, people say it takes a lifetime to learn a craft, and I think that’s true. Just keep going and try to get whatever you can from every job that you do.

Our conservation work at St Mary's church is expected to finish in the spring, when the church will re-open for visitors to enjoy. If you would like to support our repairs and the future of traditional craftsmanship, please consider becoming a Friend or donating.