Consultancy
Over the last decade I’ve been the historical consultant for a number of heritage and museums developments. Depending on the site I’ve written the historical content for masterplans, engaged with stakeholders, developed the narrative, written the panel text, sourced images, written guidebooks.
Drawing on that experience I’ve facilitated workshops for heritage and museum professionals and written reports on the inception, development and operation of site-specific museums and heritage centres, and are report on exhibition development and delivery.
I’ve researched & written the history of Marsh & Parson’s one of London’s oldest estate agencies.
Below are some before and after images of three projects I’ve worked on: Spike Island, Nano Nagle Place and Kilmainham Gaol and Courthouse. Click on the buttons below to link to visit the sites’ websites.
The museum and heritage site reports can be accessed by clicking the link below.
Spike Island
Nano Nagle Place
Kilmainham Gaol & Courthouse
Commercial History
Marsh & Parsons
Founded in 1856 the Estate Agency was closely associated with Kensington. In the early 20th century Frederick Parsons was heavily involved in a campaign to ‘to beautify the streets by a common scheme of artistic excellence in the structure and decoration of the houses and shops’. According to the Times this resulted in Kingsington High Street being ‘a riot of colour’ in 1924. Tragedy struck the Parson’s in the summer of 1944 when a V1 (flying bomb) destroyed the Marsh & Parsons premises on Kensington Church Street. F.W. Parsons was injured and his son who had been injured at Dunkirk earlier in the war, was killed. One witness recalled his experience in a BBC recording:
‘One day, between D-Day on 6 June 1944 and my 16th birthday on 16 June 1944, I was delivering a telegram to a block of flats on Kensington Church Street, when about a hundred yards away a V1 bomber commonly known as a ‘secret weapon’, ‘buzz bomb’ or ‘doodlebug’, fell to the ground with a massive explosion. I remember the blast hitting me, picking me up and throwing me along the passageway and bouncing off two walls, before coming to rest.’
In 1956 Frederick Marsh sold the company. There are currently 31 Marsh & Parsons Branches across London.