About Us

Tim Ratcliffe set up the practice in 2000, having worked previously with Rodney Melville & Partners and Donald Insall Associates, two respected architectural conservation firms. Our approach to old buildings is based on a respect for craftsmanship and an interest in traditional and vernacular building materials.

Tim is an Architect Accredited in Conservation (AABC) and is a member of the SPAB and Building Limes Forum. Jan Ratcliffe is a Conservation Consultant and a Full (accredited) Member of IHBC.

The practice works largely on historic and listed buildings, including a considerable number of Grade-I and II* listed churches, houses, historic landscapes, farm-buildings, industrial sites, scheduled monuments and townscape improvements. The practice offers design and consultancy services on the repair and adaptive reuse of historic places to the owners and custodians of old buildings.

Clients include Historic England, Cadw, National Trust, Churches Conservation Trust, Friends of Friendless Churches, over 50 parish churches, private individuals and charitable organisations.

Tim Ratcliffe has over 35 years’ experience of working with historic buildings and ancient monuments. Early in his career, he worked as a labourer for two years with specialist building firms, and seeks to apply his experiences and respect for these traditional skills and of craftmanship to his work as an architect to this day. He was awarded a Lethaby travelling Scholarship by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in 1987 and regularly lectures and gives consultancy advice on the use and application of traditional building materials and is now a member of the SPAB Technical & Research Committee. Tim was the SPAB representative to the AABC founding committee and British Standards committee on stone cleaning. He is a regular contributor to the MA Course at Birmingham City University and the SPAB Repair Course. He has contributed to articles published in The Building Conservation Directory, Context and Cornerstone, and written joint introductions to various Donhead republications of books on Plastering and Roofing.

Geraint Roberts is a consultant and associate who has worked with us since the summer of 2017. With extensive project experience across various sectors, he cares about the attention to detail that is necessary to develop informed design and technical solutions whilst optimising the use of resources in an environmentally efficient manner. Geraint maintains professional links with The Royal Society of Architects in Wales Council, together with the RSAW Mid Wales Branch and seeks to promote Architecture and good Building Conservation Practice regionally. He is an external examiner for the BSc Architecture course at University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, Swansea and is a fluent Welsh speaker.

Jan Ratcliffe is a historian, with an MA in building conservation. She is treasurer and an active member of the IHBC West Midlands Committee.

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