Dr Nigel Blades ACR
Senior National Conservator (Conservation Science), National Trust UK
Dr Nigel Blades ACR is an Icon Accredited member and the Senior National Conservator (Conservation Science) at the National Trust. His main role is to advise on environmental control solutions and preventive conservation for the care of collections; and oversee environmental data collection and interpretation for the Trust’s historic properties. Dr Blades provides training and technical support in environmental monitoring and control for house staff through property advisory visits and training courses. He is closely involved with the Trust’s conservation science research, which included participation in the European Integrated project ‘Climate for Culture’ (2009-14) and ongoing collaborative research on mould growth in historic collections and daylighting of historic house rooms. Before joining the National Trust in 2008 Dr Blades was Lecturer at the UCL Centre for Sustainable Heritage, where he was joint course director for the MSc Sustainable Heritage and undertook research into preventive conservation. Dr Blades has also worked as Researcher at the School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, and as Scientist in the Conservation Department of the Victoria & Albert Museum. He has a PhD in Archaeological Science and a BSc in Industrial and Natural Resource Chemistry.
