11th November 2025

Visitor Information

Entrance to this major heritage conservation day is FREE OF CHARGE.

Pre-registration for the Historic Buildings, Parks & Gardens Event will be open in 2025.

The event is designed for everyone in the historic buildings, landscape conservation and heritage sectors. Owners, guardians, volunteers and professionals from all sectors.

About the Event

Join us on Tuesday 11th November 2025 for the Historic Buildings, Parks & Gardens Event (HBPGE). The event is free to attend and held annually in parallel with Historic Houses National AGM.

Our Event is all about the care, repair, conservation, maintenance, preservation and restoration of Historic Buildings including interiors, Historic Landscapes, Parks & Gardens. The all-day exhibition consists of companies and organisations offering advice, solutions, guidance and support, as well as a wide and diverse range of products and services. Ranging from the traditional to cutting edge technology and across all areas of historic building and landscape conservation.

The programme includes the all day exhibition, keynote speeches and awards as well as live demonstrations and short talks. We will be announcing the full demonstrations programme later in the summer but they already include a short talk by Douglas Kent, Head of Technical & Research at the SPAB and demos by The Building Craft College and Fine Art Restorations so you will be assured of an interesting and rewarding day. For details of the 2024 demonstrations click here.

The combination of the HBPGE exhibition with over 70 stands, Historic Houses talks, live demonstrations, short talks from specialist companies, an opportunity to meet experts and a free SPAB advice surgery, means you can be assured of an interesting and rewarding day.

Event Information

The 2024 Historic Houses National AGM marked the culmination of a yearlong programme of events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Association’s foundation and the 50th anniversary of the V&A’s ‘Destruction of the Country House’ exhibition, which did so much to bring the fate of historic houses to public attention. The Historic Houses National AGM reflected on the revival in the fortunes of houses over the last 50 years and consider what the next 50 years might hold.

Visitors listened to the address by Martha Cobbold, President of Historic Houses*, and heard from their guest speakers Dr Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A* and Lord Mendoza CBE, Chair of Historic England*and the Savills lecture given by Henry & Martha Cobbold of Knebworth* alongside a selection of short talks and live demonstrations given by experts about practical skills and conservation techniques at the HBPGE.

Please keep an eye on the website for updates on the 2025 event.

*by kind permission of Historic Houses and subject to seating.

Who’s Exhibiting?

Examples of the types of services and advice represented at the exhibition include; interior and exterior building conservation, repair and decoration, garden and landscape design and restoration, lighting, security, building alterations & extensions, carpet restoration, information technology, cast stone, columns & pilasters, estate management, gates, gilding, ironwork, terracotta, textiles, windows, fine art restoration, auctions, energy conservation, valuations, catering, insurance, gifts, souvenirs, publishing, printing, event management and many, many more.

Admission & Registration

FREE ADMISSION is available to everyone in the historic buildings, landscape conservation and heritage sectors. This includes owners of historic buildings, parks & gardens, private or commercial, historic landscapes and all those who are involved in their upkeep, restoration or conservation.

Pre-registration for the Historic Buildings, Parks & Gardens Event is currently closed but will be open in 2025. 

Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster, London, SW1P 3EE

Doors open at 9am

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us on Tel: 01462 896688

Historic Houses members are not eligible for registration with us and should register with Historic Houses.

2024 Programme

9.00AM The Historic Buildings Parks & Gardens Event opens. 

Featuring an All-day Exhibition of products and services with 75 exhibitors, as well as live practical demonstrations held throughout the day, where experts show practical skills, conservation techniques on a wide range of issues relating to the conservation of historic buildings including contents and historic landscapes.

9.45AM Collections Management: Considering, Lighting and displaying to best effect. Heating: impact and options, Inventory management: listing and auditing, Conservation: practicality and cost efficiency. Crispian Riley – Smith, Founder, Art Advisory Group Demo Area 2

10.00AM Creating Stunning Plasterworks: Practical Demo. Artisans in plaster will take you through the story of originating and creating stunning plasterworks for any use or specification. From original design concept to installation. Ryan Stanford, Locker & Riley, Stand B13

10.15AM – Decorative Objects Conservation: Practical Demo in care, cleaning, handling and damage restoration, including porcelain, fine china, terracotta and earthenware. Amy, Decorative Objects Conservator, Fine Art Restoration, Demo Area 1

10.30AM – Woodcarving: Practical Demo. Cutting dovetail joints and assembling all the elements of a cabinet draw. Piers Shorrock, student, at the Building Crafts College, Demo Area 2

10.40AM – Renewable Energy Technologies: advantages and pitfalls of air, ground, and water source heat pumps, biomass boilers, HVO boilers, direct electric heating. Peter Webb (Director Building Services), Ingleton Wood, Demo Area 1

11.00AM Creating Stunning Plasterworks: Practical Demo. Artisans in plaster will take you through the story of originating and creating stunning plasterworks for any use or specification. From original design concept to installation. Ryan Stanford, Locker & Riley, Stand B13

11.00AM Historic Houses AGM (Historic House Members only), Churchill Auditorium 

11.30AM Address by Martha Cobbold, Historic Houses President*, Churchill Auditorium 

11.50PM Dr Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A*, Churchill Auditorium 

12.30PM – Woodcarving: Practical Demo. Cutting dovetail joints and assembling all the elements of a cabinet draw. Piers Shorrock, student, at the Building Crafts College, Demo Area 2

1.45PM – Climate change adaption and resilience for historic buildings and gardens: headline hazards, implications and actions. Morwenna Slade (Director, Climate Change), Ingleton Wood, Demo Area 1

2.00PM – Stone Carving: Practical Demo. The Carving a Tudor rose, the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England. It consists of five inner petals representing the House of York, and five outer petals representing the House of Lancaster. Max Higgins. Mason in residence at the Building Crafts College, Demo Area 2

2.15PM Creating Stunning Plasterworks: Practical Demo. Artisans in plaster will take you through the story of originating and creating stunning plasterworks for any use or specification. From original design concept to installation. Ryan Stanford, Locker & Riley, Stand B13

2.30PM Lord Mendoza CBE, Chair of Historic England*, Churchill Auditorium

2.45PM Historic Houses Awards *, Churchill Auditorium 

3.00PM Historic Houses Savills Lecture*, Henry & Martha Cobbold, Churchill Auditorium

3.15PM  – Controlling Dampness in Older Buildings. Most forms of deterioration affecting buildings in the UK result from excessive moisture. Despite being commonplace, dampness problems are widely misdiagnosed with resources frequently being wasted on damaging and ineffective treatments. This talk offers a few pointers on how to treat dampness successfully in older (pre-1919) buildings. SPAB Technical & Research Director, Douglas Kent, Demo Area 1

3.45PM – Book Signings, The British Country House Revival by Ben Cowell, Director General, Historic Houses, 3rd Floor Exhibition Hall.

4.00PM – Stone Carving: Practical Demo. The Carving a Tudor rose, the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England. It consists of five inner petals representing the House of York, and five outer petals representing the House of Lancaster. Max Higgins. Mason in residence at the Building Crafts College, Demo Area 2

4.15PM Creating Stunning Plasterworks: Practical Demo. Artisans in plaster will take you through the story of originating and creating stunning plasterworks for any use or specification. From original design concept to installation. Ryan Stanford, Locker & Riley, Stand B13

*By kind permission of Historic Houses and subject to seating availability

2024 Exhibitors

We are pleased to announced the following exhibitors at the event

ANOXART Ltd, Art Advisory Group Ltd, Artorius Faber, Ashbridge Partners, Ayesa, Beyonk Ltd, BSG Ecology, The Buildings Craft CollegeBury Hill Landscapes SuppliesCambridge HOK, Cast Iron WeldingCastrads Ltd, Charles Russell Speechlys, Cliveden ConservationCrown and CanopyCSC Window Films & Blinds, David Austin Roses, Doerr DallasEibe Play LtdEnvirograf Intumescent Systems Ltd, Fine Art Restoration Company, The Gardens Trust, Gauntlet Insurance, Gerratts Carpet Planners, Greenspan Projects LtdHarris Bugg StudioHirst Conservation, HistoryonicsHumphries Weaving CompanyHutton & Rostron Environmental Investigations LtdIngleton Wood, ISO EnergyJ & J W Longbottom Ltd, James Byatt Garden & Estate LandscapesJarrold Publishing, Jigsaw Design & Publishing, John Good LimitedLand and Water Services Ltd, Lilla RugsLocker & Riley, London Parks & Gardens, Longfish LeisureMason Navarro Pledge, Mid Beds Locksmiths LtdMiles Water Engineering Ltd, The Morton PartnershipNT Surveying, OrpheoOxbow Books, PenningtonProfessional Gardeners’ GuildRose of Jericho, The Rug & Carpet Studio, Russell Taylor Architects, SavillsSelway Joyce Ltd, SPABSpencer & FryStonewest Ltd, SUN-X LtdSwordersTM Lighting, Vennersys, Venue Zen, The Victorian Society, The Vikings, Virtu HousekeepingWater Lilly, The William Morris Society, William Sugg & Co Ltd, Woldon ArchitectsYour Choice Fire & Security & Cygnus Group Ltd, Zardi & Zardi