The Kent & East Sussex Branch of the Historical Engineering Group of the Institution of Civil Engineers will hold its inaugural meeting at Rochester Cathedral on Tuesday, 2nd June 2015. Edward Morton, specialist conservation engineer, will give the inaugural address entitled “The Engineering Challenges of Cathedrals.”
The medieval cathedrals of England, which date from between approximately 1040 and 1540, form a group of twenty-six architecturally diverse buildings that provide the engineers who care for them with a huge range of interesting challenges. Edward Morton, currently the Engineer to Canterbury Cathedral, York Minster, Westminster Abbey, Durham Cathedral and Southwark Cathedral, will speak about his experience of conservation engineering and work on some of the important cathedrals in the country, with a particular emphasis on Canterbury Cathedral.
By kind permission of the Dean and Chapter, this event will take place in the beautiful setting of the nave of Rochester Cathedral, the second oldest cathedral in the country. The lecture will start at 7:00 p.m. with refreshments available from 6:30 p.m. Admission is free, but places must be booked at kesheg@gmail.com.
Chairman of the organising committee of the new Kent & Sussex Branch, Sue Threader, Bridge Clerk and chief executive of the Rochester Bridge Trust, said, “The purpose of the new group is to promote a greater awareness and understanding of the rich civil and military engineering heritage of Kent and East Sussex.”
Other members of the committee include bridge engineer Tim Belcher-Whyte of Hyder Consulting UK and Richard Adam, a civil engineer who is currently working on the HS2 project.
Notes:
1. The Rochester Bridge Trust is a charitable trust that exists to maintain the old and new bridges at Rochester and serve the travelling public. It is the only surviving bridge trust still serving its original purpose, and it has served the people of Kent since 1399. The Trust also supports numerous community and education projects across historic Kent and Medway.
2. The Trust’s assets all derive from endowments of land and money in the 14th and 15th centuries and are carefully managed in order to provide an income to fund bridge maintenance and local charitable grants. The Trust receives no external funding and is regulated by the Charity Commission.
3. Edward Morton, B.Eng (Hons), CEng, FICE, IHBC, Engineer Accredited In Conservation, is managing director of The Morton Partnership Ltd, a company of civil and structural engineers with over 20 employees being almost entirely involved with the conservation, restoration and refurbishment of historic buildings and structures as well as new buildings in historic settings. Clients include the National Trust, English Heritage and many Building Preservation Trusts. Ed is currently the Engineer to Canterbury Cathedral, York Minster, Westminster Abbey, Durham Cathedral and Southwark Cathedral. He is also involved with projects at Ely, Peterborough and Sheffield Cathedrals. He has been a guest lecturer for many heritage bodies and institutions of higher education.
For more information:
The Rochester Bridge Trust
5 Esplanade
Rochester
Kent ME1 1QE
Tel: 01634 846706
Fax: 01634 840125