Introducing the new course tutor

I anticipate with some relish my joining the V&A as Course Tutor, having had some brief experience of the Conservation Department as a student. In my final year of the Institute of Archaeology's B.Sc. course in Archaeological Conservation, I brought my dissertation project to the Stained Glass Section for advice. June Lennox, then Head of Section, was kind enough to suggest I do the practical work on my medieval glass panel at the Museum and I gladly accepted the opportunity to work in this professional and friendly environment.

My first job on graduating in 1984 was with the East Midlands Area Museums Service, offering conservation services to museums in four counties. For one term I also spent one day a week providing practical supervision and informal teaching on the Lincoln College of Art Course in Conservation/Restoration Crafts.

Between 1985 and 1987 I worked for the Trust for Lincolnshire Archaeology, followed by over six years at the Museum of London. Here I gained invaluable experience in working with other specialist conservators and learned about the role of conservation in a larger museum.

Throughout my career I have enjoyed working with the students on placements from various courses in Britain and abroad. They can be hard work as they will ask questions all the time - sometimes hard to answer - but I have invariably found their presence enormously stimulating and rewarding. Who better to answer their questions than a major national institution and centre of excellence such as the V&A? I look forward to working with the students and staff at the Museum, the RCA and all the other institutions and individuals who contribute to the Course.