IHBC London Branch Day Conference, Thursday 8th October 2015
Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4LE 



BIOGRAPHIES FOR SPEAKERS – In order of presentations


David McDonald is Education Secretary of the IHBC and is also Chair of London Branch. Previously he led the Conservation and Design Team at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. A graduate in geography and geology, then qualifying as a Town Planner, he worked for a number of years at the London Borough of Camden. While at Camden he completed the AA Diploma in Building Conservation. He is currently an independent historic environment consultant, specialising in providing heritage training for other built environment professionals.

Richard Flenley’s professional career has been with the private practice Land Use Consultants (LUC) from 1970 until formal retirement in 2011, as Director from1982 and going on to become Chair of the Practice in later years. He has frequently led teams involved in a very wide range of environmentally-based projects, from broad scale landscape assessment to detailed design and implementation of projects on the ground. He has worked as consultant to the National Trust, English Heritage, all eight Royal Parks of London, the Royal Palaces, and independent estates such as Syon Park and Painshill Park. Since formal retirement, he has become a Trustee for three heritage properties, providing strategic advice on landscape and estate management. Richard’s experience includes a wide spectrum of landscape appreciation, design and management including reclamation of major waste sites and restoration of sensitive and nationally important heritage sites.

David Lambert is a Director of the Parks Agency, a consultancy specialising in the conservation and management of historic parks. Previously the Conservation Officer for the Garden History Society, he has held research fellowships at the University of York and De Montfort University and has been an adviser to three parliamentary inquiries. He is currently a mentor on over twenty HLF park restoration projects, and also serves on a number of specialist advisory panels including the National Trust, English Heritage, the World Monuments Fund and Historic Royal Palaces. He is the author of several books and has recently written War Memorial Parks and Gardens in the Historic England Introduction to Heritage Assets series.

Ian Dungavell is Chief Executive of the Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust. He joined the Trust in 2012 after 12 years as Director of the Victorian Society. He developed his interest in cemeteries while working there and the Society had a campaign in 2009-11 to highlight the state of cemetery chapels around the country. Ian is interested in the tensions between historic cemeteries, sustainability and Victorian burial practices.

Todd Longstaffe-Gowan is a gardener and historian who, since entering private practice in 1990, has advised on a number of public and private historic landscapes. He developed and implemented long-term landscape management plans for the National Trust, English Heritage and a wide range of private owners in the UK and abroad. In 1995 he co-ordinated the revision of The Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest (in London) for English Heritage and the London Historic Parks and Gardens Trust. Todd has been responsible for a number of new garden and landscape designs in Britain and abroad. He recently redesigned the gardens at Kensington Palace to mark the Diamond Jubilee of HM The Queen. He holds a variety of advisory roles including Gardens Adviser to Historic Royal Palaces and is founder member and President of the London Historic Parks and Gardens Trust.

Mike Harlow first qualified as an engineer before converting to the law and working in the City for 15 years as a solicitor advising on built environment matters. In 2007 Mike left his partnership in Winward Fearon to join English Heritage (now Historic England) in the role of Legal Director. Since then he has been very heavily involved in the implementation of the reforms to the system of protection of the historic environment, latterly in the drafting of the historic environment policies within the National Planning Policy Framework. Mike has been involved in key casework for English Heritage and has also instigated the Heritage Crime programme which aims to reduce the threat of crime to historic buildings and sites across England.

Drew Bennellick is Head of Landscape and Natural Heritage UK for the Heritage Lottery Fund. He joined the HLF in April 2009 and sits within the Strategic and Business Development Department alongside parallel posts relating to museums, built environment, and participation and learning. Drew is the Programme Director for the Parks for People and Landscape Partnerships targeted grant programmes, and is responsible for providing expert advice to HLF Trustees and regional/country teams on designed landscapes and natural heritage. He is a chartered landscape architect with experience of both private and public practice. Before moving to the HLF Drew worked for Cambridge City Council, Bedford Borough Council and latterly English Heritage’s London Region.

Roo Angell & Bob Bagley are co-founders of Sayes Court Garden CIC. As local residents they set up this community-led project to preserve the site of John Evelyn's historic garden, under threat from the forthcoming Convoys Wharf development at Deptford, southeast London. Having secured 1ha of open space and provision for an adjoining cultural and education centre over the exposed archaeology of Evelyn's Sayes Court Manor, the group are now developing a truly 21st century project inspired by Evelyn's teachings in the fields of urban landscape, sustainability and climate change. The developer has committed a large contribution towards capital and maintenance costs for the new garden.


Dominic Cole is a Chartered member of the Landscape Institute with some 30 years’ experience. He is the designer of the Eden project in Cornwall and throughout his career he has engaged with the specialist area of Historic Parks and Gardens. Dominic is Chairman of the Garden History Society and was Chairman of the National Trust Gardens Advisory Panel from 2008-2015. He set up Dominic Cole Landscape Architects in 2012 and recent projects include advising the National Trust and Bucks CC on their response to the impact of the High Speed 2 rail project; restoration of the monument at Box Hill and working with the National Trust on presentation of the gardens at Ham House.

Johanna Gibbons is a landscape architect, Fellow of the Landscape Institute and founding partner of J & L Gibbons Landscape Architects, established in 1986 London. She serves on several advisory panels including the Cambridgeshire Quality Panel, Historic England’s Urban Panel and the Forestry Commission’s London committee. Jo’s expertise concerns heritage, green infrastructure and urban regeneration and she leads on collaborative cross-disciplinary practice at a strategic and grass roots level. Her award winning practice with Neil Davidson is currently undertaking pilot research with Kings College London and Nomad, measuring how city living is affecting mental wellbeing. Her work has recently been exhibited as part of ‘Urbanistas’ at the Roca Gallery London, celebrating innovative women in urban design.