The SPAB Heritage Awards Ceremony: the winners

What a night!

We were delighted to welcome over 230 people to our very first SPAB Heritage Awards ceremony at Conway Hall in London.

For those who couldn’t join us in person, our regional branches held lively watch parties in Glasgow and Dublin and almost 500 views of our livestream of the ceremony on the night. If you missed it you can watch the recording on our YouTube channel.

Kevin McCloud, our wonderful host for the evening, brought tremendous energy and warmth to the event, as well as his long-held affection for the SPAB. In his opening remarks he said: "This evening of awards champion craft, passion, care, appreciation, romanticism, joy, education, rare skillsets, unusual dedication, the gift of knowledge, a belief in heritage.  An overflowing cup of love for the past, an unquenched thirst to know where the future lies. These awards show the Society off in its best colours... the SPAB is small, powerful, agile and expert.”

The winners of the 2022 Heritage Awards are:

Philip Webb Award: Michał Saniewski, ​Transformative ​Reconstruction.

Craftsperson of the Year, sponsored by Owlsworth IJP: Ronnie Douglas, conservation bricklayer (Under 30s) and to Wilma Wyatt, cabinetmaker (Career Changer).

The Sustainable Heritage Award, sponsored by Keymer Tiles: No.4, Black Bull Close – the rescue of an abandoned 18th-century building behind Dunbar High Street, by community-based charity the Ridge.

The John Betjeman Award: St Peter's Church, Knowstone, Devon (England and Wales); The Honan Chapel, Cork (Ireland); Carntyne Parish Church, Glasgow (Scotland).

Best Loved, voted for by the public: Nunwick Barn in Ripon (private category) and Wenworth Woodhouse (public category).

Our Esher Award – given to those who have furthered building conservation and the work of SPAB – was presented to sculptor and conservator Rory Young.

We also enjoyed the presentation of our 2021 and 2022 cohorts of Scholars and Fellows.  

Thank you

Our thanks also to all who joined us, our fantastic judges, Kevin McCloud and especially to generous headline sponsors Storm Windows, and award sponsors Terra Measurement, Owlsworth IJP and Keymer Tiles.