The Brooking houses the largest collection of British architectural detail in the world. Each piece offers a small but telling glimpse into the past. We are here to breathe life into architecture and to bring architecture to life.

Paul is a heritage professional, a designer, reclaimer and maker. His interest lies in interpretation, adaptation and reuse, and the multisensory experience of heritage spaces and objects. After a 20 year career in marketing and branding, he refocused his attention to people’s everyday relationship with the past. He gained a degree in Heritage Interior Design and a master’s degree in Heritage and Interpretation. Paul was The Brooking’s chair of trustees from 2017 until 2022 and now oversees our VILLUM grant project, in particular collaborations and programming, branding and marketing.

Anna is a freelance heritage consultant with a master’s degree in Cultural Heritage and Resource Management. Following a career in operations management, Anna completed a foundation degree in Historic Building Conservation in 2016 and, after her master’s degree, started a part-time PhD. Anna is an experienced volunteer manager with a keen interest in diversity and accessibility within the museums and heritage sector. Anna started with us as a volunteer in 2015 and was a trustee from 2018 until 2023. Anna is now part of the VILLUM grant project team with responsibility for our collections’ management, knowledge capture, volunteer engagement and site operation.

Peter is an art historian and classical archaeologist with an interest in all periods of architectural history. He specialises in the art of Greece and Rome and its modern reception. He was born in Belfast and educated at Cambridge University. After working in Cambridge, Reading University, and the Courtauld Institute of Art, he moved to Oxford University in 2011. He is currently Director of Oxford’s Classical Art Research Centre and Professor of Ancient Art. Peter’s wide-ranging publications include The Social History of Roman Art (2008) and A Catalogue of the Sculpture Collection at Wilton House (2020). Peter has been chair since October 2023.

Lucy is a museum manager. Her field of expertise is lifelong learning and interpretation in museums as well as experience in volunteer management and collections management. She has previously worked in international networks, focusing on historic building use and conservation, also serving as a judge for the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra awards. Lucy has degrees in Heritage Management and History. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, an Associate of the Museums Association, a trustee of Europa Nostra UK and a heritage-sector mentor. Lucy has been a trustee since September 2020.

Rosemary works in quality improvement and change management relating to the care of older people. She has a master’s degree in Gerontology and specialises in relationship and person-centred best practice. Rosemary is active in community development, supporting health and wellbeing locally, facilitating better connectivity between organisations. She is a registered occupational therapist, author and speaker and runs her own consultancy, working in the UK and abroad. Rosemary has followed her brother Charles Brooking’s career from the start, and actively supports his work as a family member and a trustee since February 2021.

Colin studied Architecture at the University of East London and has a master’s degree in Urban Design. He worked on large-scale cultural and commercial projects in Dublin and London before becoming a Senior Lecturer in Architecture at London Metropolitan University. He is also the first year co-ordinator and an undergraduate design studio tutor. Colin has been a guest critic at architecture schools including University of East London, Central Saint Martins, Chelsea School of Art, Architectural Association, Leicester School of Architecture and TU Berlin. He has been a trustee since September 2020.

Tom is a business developer for renewable power stations, working on all commercial aspects of large pumped storage and offshore wind projects in the United Kingdom. He has a deep interest in architectural history and museums, and has been a volunteer visitor assistant at Sir John Soane’s Museum in Holborn, London, since 2016. He has also volunteered at Pitzhanger Manor, Sir John Soane’s former country house in Ealing, West London. He has a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and has recently completed a master’s degree in Construction Law and Dispute Resolution. Tom has been a trustee since October 2023.

Lily is a curator specialising in 19^th and 20^th century craft and design. She is particularly interested in the use of museum objects in higher education. Lily has worked in a wide range of museums, including independent, local authority and national collections, and is currently history curator at Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum. She is also reading for a DPhil in history at Oxford University and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Her doctoral research focuses on a collection of building materials and architectural details which was displayed in South Kensington in the 1850s to 1880s. Lily has been a trustee since October 2023.

Emma is a registrar and collections manager specialising in collections development, information and documentation standards, and care and conservation standards. She is currently responsible for ARTIST ROOMS, the jointly owned modern and contemporary art collection of Tate and National Galleries of Scotland, and delivery of the associated national partnership exhibition programme. Emma has a passion for enabling access to collections, promoting enjoyable, meaningful and relevant visitor experiences. Emma has been a trustee since October 2023.

As the Creative Director of Julian McIntosh Architects, Julian focuses on cultural and heritage spaces, enhancing community engagement through media, architecture, and the creative industry. He has developed projects for the Black Cultural Archives and supports the GLA’s Design Future London programme. Julian is a founding director of The Hac Bow, an arts and heritage space in East London, and has appeared on the BBC and Netflix’s hit show, Your Home Made Perfect. As a broadcast presenter and public speaker, Julian shares his expert opinion on design, aesthetics and lifestyle. Julian has been a trustee since February 2024.

Ingrid is an architect with a decade of experience working on residential, cultural, and heritage projects. She is an Associate at Feilden Fowles where she has recently delivered the Grade I listed extension to Carlisle Cathedral, the Fratry. In addition to project work, she plays a crucial role in the management of their office, heading up business development initiatives and resourcing. Alongside practice, Ingrid co-leads an undergraduate design studio at London Metropolitan University, focusing on innovative educational building models and regularly participates in external reviews. Ingrid has been a trustee since February 2024.

Jenny is passionate about lifelong education, the value of design and the importance of our surroundings on mental health and wellbeing.  In 1982 she founded KLC School of Design providing vocational and career-focused interior design courses supported by collaboration with industry, local communities and international schools. Jenny developed the Design Changes Lives Foundation to widen access to, and diversity in, design. During her term as President of the British Institute of Interior Design she particularly focused on raising standards of professionalism in the industry. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, she was awarded an OBE for services to higher education and the interior design industry in 2021. Jenny has been a trustee since February 2024.

Isabelle is a consultant within the cultural and creative sector. She supports organisations, developers and visitor destinations to realise new cultural programmes, capital developments and place shaping. With a passion for architecture, Isabelle has a master’s degree in Gothic Cathedrals and has worked across the built environment sector helping clients develop estate strategies and capital projects. She is also a published author of articles and books on the subject of the built environment. Isabelle has been a trustee since February 2024.

We work closely with our Founding Collector Charles Brooking as an independent architectural historian and collections consultant. Together, we are recording the oral history of his collecting and the logic of each collection – from the broadest understanding, to more specific insights into thematic groups and particular objects. Charles is an established architectural historian and consultant who holds a loan collection at his personal teaching gallery at his home in Cranleigh, Surrey, where he continues to research, study, and deliver courses on architectural detail.