Caitlin Kight, University of Exeter
Caitlin is an educator specialising in pedagogies of liberation, self-study, and creativity. Originally an ecologist, Caitlin maintains an interest in conservation, stewardship, and public engagement; this is what kickstarted her collaborations in the heritage sector.
She is co-PI of the Creative Toolkit project, which uses creative interventions to help frontline staff feel supported and valued.
Caitlin is an editor/writer for Current Conservation and CC Kids, and her daily webcomic, Doodlewax, is posted on Twitter and Instagram at @specialagentCK.
Eleanor Harding, National Trust
Eleanor Harding is a Cultural Heritage Curator in London for the National Trust since 2022, and Assistant Curator in Wales prior.
Also an independent heritage consultant, currently supporting a local authority museums service, and with a decade of experience working with people outside the museum world on projects in parks, pubs, and a 19th-century sewage pumping station.
Kate Fellows, Leeds City Council/Leeds Museums and Galleries
Kate has worked with object-based learning in museums since 2003 for a range of organisations including the National Trust, Harewood House and IWM North.
She is currently the Head of Learning and Access for Leeds Museums and Galleries, and moderates for Artsmark for Arts Council England.
Kate is a regional rep for GEM Yorkshire and Humberside, a member of the Cultural Learning Alliance advisory panel, Chair of the Yorkshire Accessible Museums Network (YAMN) and founding member for GLAM Cares supporting staff wellbeing. She is also an accredited coach.
Maya Harrison, Leeds City Council/Leeds Museums and Galleries
Inspired to work in museums by beautiful and strange objects in the Birmingham Science Museum, Maya has now been working in the sector for over 20 years.
She has worked for Local Authority run museums since 2005, delivering development projects in a range of heritage sites including castles and country houses. Cable runs through a grade I listed building are currently the bane of her life. She has an impressive collection of pencils from museum gift shops.
Oliver Cox, V&A
Dr Oliver Cox is Head of Academic Partnerships at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), where he is responsible for building a global network of higher education partners to support the V&A’s mission to champion design and creativity in all its forms, advance cultural knowledge, and inspire makers, creators and innovators everywhere.
Outside of the V&A he is a Trustee of the University College Oxford Old Members Trust and was appointed by Her Majesty the Queen as a Trustee of the Churches Conservation Trust in March 2022. He also sits on the Grants Committee for Historic Houses.
Peter Goodchild, Conservationist and Educator
Peter Goodchild is a conservationist and educationist specialising in Garden and Landscape Heritage. His professional training was in Horticulture, Landscape Design, and Conservation Studies. In the 1970s and 80s he was closely involved, through the Garden History Society (now the Gardens Trust), ICOMOS-UK, and the IoAAS (University of York), in promoting and establishing the national Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.
Later, he was the Director of the Historic Landscapes and Gardens Option in the mid-career MA in Conservation Studies at the IoAAS. Currently, his main interest is in promoting Supplementary Education on the appreciation, understanding, conservation, and care of local environments including, of course, gardens, parks and landscape settings of historical interest. He has international experience.
Rachel Crewes, Harewood House Trust
With recent roles at the Hepworth Wakefield and the Science Museum Group, she has been Harewood’s CEO since March 2023. Rachel joined the charity in 2018 to help re-imagine the concept of the country house in the 21st century and grow earned income.
As Commercial Director, she headed up the organisation’s trading company, increasing income by over 50% across major outdoor events, venue hire, retail, filming and catering. As part of Harewood’s executive team, she has made a significant contribution to the bold artistic programme and vision for engaging with Harewood’s diverse communities.
Rachel has a MA in Heritage Management from the Ironbridge Institute and a BA History with History of Art, specialising in the English Country House.
Rathi Tamilselvan, Leeds City Council/Leeds Museums and Galleries
Rathi Tamilselvan is Assistant Community Curator at Temple Newsam House, Leeds. She is a self-confessed museum and heritage enthusiast with a keen interest in herbarium, decorative arts, social and oral history. Her current museological interest lies in increasing access and engagement with these collections focusing on grassroots and source community engagement.
She believes in building relationships with communities and prioritising their needs to effectively develop and implement collaborative, participatory, inclusive and shared programmes.
Her current research interests are in the Metaherbarium and how plant/natural science collections can be effectively deployed to support biodiversity and in the history, reception and consumption of Chinese export wallpaper in Britain. She is also a trustee on the board for Ilkley Manor House Trust, West Yorkshire.
Sarah McLeod, Wentworth Woodhouse
Sarah was engaged as the first CEO of Wentworth Woodhouse in May 2017. Since taking on the role she has established a successful trading company, and launched the Wentworth Woodhouse Masterplan “A New Life” which details the £130 million regeneration programme for the site. She has since successfully raised and managed over £30m worth of restoration and repair at the site.
Sarah joined the National Lottery Heritage Fund Northern Committee, where she is part of the team making decisions on grant requests between £250,000 and £5million.
Sarah is a published writer and is a course contributor to the MSc Historic Buildings course at Cambridge University.
Tarnya Cooper, National Trust
Dr Tarnya Cooper is the Curatorial and Conservation Director at the National Trust. She is the client for a major NT programme ‘Discovery Houses’ focused on 28 historic houses with internationally significant collections. She is the co-investigator of a research project ‘Private Spaces for Public Benefit’ in partnership with Dr Oliver Cox the V&A, exploring democratisation and physical and intellectual access at public country houses.
She was previously Curatorial Director at the National Portrait Gallery. Tarnya has published widely on 16th and 17th century visual culture and her most recent book on the National Trust collections ‘125 Treasures from National Trust Collections’ was published in 2021. An edited volume on the ‘Public Country House’ is forthcoming.
Sarah Bradbury, National Trust
Everyone should have an opportunity to have a voice and opportunity to influence in decisions that impact their lives. This concept has driven Sarah’s work for over 13 years, working with people and organisations across sectors to facilitate change towards a more equitable and just society.
Sarah currently works for the National Trust in the North of England, her previous work includes her own Consultancy, Good Human Project, working with small local business to regional Health networks. Sarah also worked at Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art and in partnership with Academic institutions and Local Authorities.
Simon Coates, National Trust
For more than 12 years, Simon has specialised in the development of projects that centre both people and place, exploring hidden stories and shared connections to inspire change. He has a proven track record of delivering impactful initiatives for social and environmental good driven by his own desire to make a positive impact.
Simon currently works for the National Trust in the north of England having previously worked for organisations such at Leeds 2023, National Theatre Wales and Wales Millennium Centre amongst others.
Ben Cowell, Historic Houses
Ben Cowell is Director General of Historic Houses, the association that represents over 1,400 independently owned and managed country houses, castles and gardens across the UK. He has previously worked for the National Trust and English Heritage, as well as for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
His latest book, The British Country House Revival (Boydell Press, 2024) tells the story of the revival in fortunes of country houses since the mid-1970s. Ben’s previous publications include The Heritage Obsession (2008), a history of the heritage movement, and biographical studies of two of the founders of the National Trust, Robert Hunter and Octavia Hill.
Cathal Dowd-Smith, Malahide Castle and Gardens
Cathal Dowd-Smith is Curator and Collections Manager of Malahide Castle and Gardens for Fingal County Council. A graduate of Trinity College Dublin where he studied the History of Art and Architecture and History, Cathal’s current research interests are in the Irish country house, architectural and social-domestic histories of the 18th and 19th centuries.
He is leading a programme of events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the purchase of Malahide Castle into public ownership.
Edward Cartwright, Purcell UK
After an early career which included business consultancy and managing his family estate, Ed returned to education where he has just finished the Masters in Building History at the University of Cambridge. His research is focused on garden history, landscape architecture and access to heritage assets.
Ed undertook his industry placement with Purcell, gaining a variety of experience in the Heritage Consultancy Team where he now works on historic buildings projects across the north of England. His skills and experience include archival research, historical landscape analysis, Conservation Areas and Heritage Action Zones. His volunteer roles include serving as a parish councillor and a director of not-for-profit organisation.
Abigail Hackett, Sheffield Hallam University
Abigail Hackett is a Professor of Childhood and Education at the Institute of Education, Sheffield Hallam University. They are particularly interested in the role of place, materiality and the body in young children’s lives and literacies. Their work is located mostly in communities, and non-formal learning spaces.
With a background in museums, Abigail has expertise in young children’s experiences of museum spaces. They are particularly interested in methodology, and, as their research is mostly with children aged under three years, they experiment with visual, sensory and ethnographic methodologies for understanding tacit and inchoate aspects of young children’s lives.
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ABBEY HOUSE MUSEUM
Opening Hours
Mon: closed
Tues – Fri: 10am – 5pm
Sat: 12 – 5pm
Sun: 10am – 5pm
Last admission: 4.30pm
Address
Abbey Walk
Kirkstall
Leeds
LS5 3EH
Ticket Provider
LEEDS CITY MUSEUM
Opening Hours
Mon: closed (11am – 5pm on bank holidays)
Tues – Fri: 10am – 5pm
Sat & Sun: 11am – 5pm
Address
Leeds City Museum
Millennium Square
Leeds
LS2 8BH
Ticket Provider
KIRKSTALL ABBEY
Opening Hours
Mon: closed (10am – 4pm on bank holidays)
Tues – Sun: 10am – 4.30pm
Last admission: 4pm
Address
Abbey Road
Kirkstall
Leeds
LS5 3EH
Ticket Provider
LOTHERTON
Opening Hours
Open Daily
Estate opens: 7.30am
Café: 9am – 5pm, hot food finishes 45 mins before
Hall: Open (Downstairs only) 10am-5pm
Wildlife World: 10am – 5pm
Estate closes: October: 7pm
November: 6pm
23 Nov – 24th Dec: 7pm
24th Dec – 28th Feb: 6pm
March: 7pm
April onwards: 8pm
Last entry 45 mins before estate closing time
Address
Lotherton Lane
Aberford
Leeds
LS25 3EB
Ticket Provider
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