An award-winning, accredited conservation company with 40 years of experience in industrial, maritime, and architectural metal conservation, offering flexible, multidisciplinary services that combine heritage engineering with industrial and architectural conservation, as well as practical collection care and industrial heritage consultancy.
Ian Clark Restoration was established in 1983 and is now engaged in all aspects of practical industrial, maritime, and architectural conservation, as well as project management and consultancy. Drawing on over forty years of engineering experience in these fields, Ian Clark offers a multi-disciplined and dedicated conservation service.
With a portfolio of prestigious projects both in the UK and internationally, Ian is a professionally accredited Conservator/Restorer with the Institute of Conservation. He is also an approved contractor for the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, the National Trust, and English Heritage.
The range of work undertaken is diverse—spanning the conservation and restoration of large industrial and maritime machinery collections, wind and watermills, to structural repairs and the conservation of decorative and architectural metalwork. Full contracts can be delivered, or selected specialist tasks carried out depending on project needs.
Comprehensive condition surveys and technical specifications can be prepared, including for grant applications and Heritage Lottery Fund bids. Ethical and technical advice is available across all aspects of industrial, maritime, and architectural heritage.
Ian has been a long-serving member of the National Historic Ships Committee and is currently a project monitor for the Heritage Lottery Fund. He is an active supporter of Icon and a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Heritage Committee.
In addition to hands-on conservation, Ian has contributed to a number of television and radio programmes that explore and showcase industrial and maritime heritage work.
He is a fully elected Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, a member of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects, a Fellow of the Museums Association, a member of the Association of Independent Museums, and a fully accredited member of the Institute of Conservation.
In recognition of his outstanding work, Ian was awarded the Pilgrim Trust Award for Conservation in 2002/3—part of the UK’s premier awards scheme celebrating excellence in heritage preservation.
Historic Royal Palaces
Transport & Vehicle Collections
HMS M33 – M29-class monitor of the Royal Navy built in 1915.
Shrewsbury Flax Mill maltings – Consultancy – Historic England
Mixed-Material Object Conservation
Biography
Ian Clark ACR
Training
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Traditional craft-based engineering apprenticeship at The British Engineerium, Sussex (1981–1987)
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City & Guilds in Mechanical Engineering Craft Studies (Parts I, II & III)
Employment History
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Founder and Director, Ian Clark Restoration (1983–present)
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Independent engineering consultant and contractor in industrial, maritime, and architectural conservation
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Project monitor for the Heritage Lottery Fund
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Long-serving member of the National Historic Ships Committee
Professional Affiliations & Accreditation
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Accredited Member (ACR), Institute of Conservation (Icon)
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Fellow, Institution of Mechanical Engineers
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Fellow, Museums Association
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Member, Royal Institution of Naval Architects
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Member, Association of Independent Museums
Awards
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Pilgrim Trust Award for Conservation, 2002/3
Client testimonials
On the Middleport Pottery project Ian Clark has demonstrated great strengths in both theory and application during the design stages. His passionate and pragmatic contribution has surpassed high expectations.
Tim Greensmith
Architect, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
Ian became a very supportive and collaborative partner within the project and helped to deliver very complex and challenging preservation solutions on time and budget. Advocating and implementing a clear conservation strategy for the built environment is demanding and sometimes fraught with quantifiable elements but when an architectural regeneration project is inextricably forged together with in-house historic machinery then a deeper and more focused understanding of how the building synergises with the machinery is essential. This project was bold in its aspiration and delivery but by engaging with a specialist conservation engineering company the complex decisions surrounding the conservation, preservation and indeed the interpretation of the historic machinery were evaluated and resolved by promoting an informed and collaborative approach. Ian worked closely with English Heritage to formulate a conservation policy that was pragmatic, sensitive and above all deliverable when evaluated against the intellectual, curatorial and fiscal parameters embedded within the project.
Bethan Stanley
Senior Collections Conservator, English Heritage