Dedicated Heritage Hub puts conservation in the spotlight at The Stone Show & Hard Surfaces

Leading heritage and conservation bodies including Historic England and The Society For The Protection Of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) will be amongst the experts at next month’s The Stone Show & Hard Surfaces (ExCeL London, May 7-9), the UK's natural stone and hard surfaces industry event.

As part of the Heritage Hub’s three days of activity, experts who are committed to safeguarding the UK’s built heritage will offer free specialist conservation advice, alongside inspiring case studies and a dynamic forum for sharing knowledge, experience, and best practice.

The Heritage Hub is supported by Historic England and the English Stone Forum, with partner organisations including the Institute of Conservation (ICON), Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), and the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC).

Alongside sound advice, and a busy programme of seminars and workshops, Day 3 (Friday May 9th) will focus on specifically conservation, retrofit and heritage buildings, with a special focus on natural stone.

These include:

Friday May 9th

11.15am

[edit] Stone sourcing challenges for historic building repair: current and future projects

[edit] Speaker: Clara Willett, Senior Building Conservation Advisor, Historic England

12.30pm

[edit] Retrofit for the future: how heritage plays a key role in achieving net zero

As part of the efforts to reduce the carbon impacts of the built environment, there is a fresh drive for clients to prioritise the retrofitting of existing buildings over demolition and rebuild. This session will explore some of the key topics around this conversation.

Chair: Clara Willett, Senior Building Conservation Advisor, Historic England. Panellists: Jane Buxey, Giles Heap and Imogen Shaw

12.45pm

[edit] How traditional approaches using stone are relevant in the modern, low carbon conservation

Speaker: Edward Lewis, Practice Director, Donald Insall Associates

1pm

[edit] The use of indigenous stone: researching embodied carbon of slate

Speaker: Soki Rhee-Duverne, Building Conservation Advisor, Historic England

Sam Patel, Director of Global Markets at Media 10 commented: “Stone is a vital part of the conservation sector, so whether you’re working on a conservation project or simply interested in traditional building materials, the Heritage Hub is a must-visit at next month’s show.”

The Stone Show & Hard Surfaces 2025 returns to ExCeL London with a powerful line-up of free-to-attend seminars and expert keynote speakers, exploring a range of topics including the future of sustainable design, quarrying innovation, and material-led architecture.

Co-located with UK Construction Week, the 2025 seminar programme is being curated in collaboration with The Stone Federation Great Britain and Historic England, bringing authoritative guidance, best practices, and sector insight from two of the UK’s most respected industry bodies.

The Stone Show & Hard Surfaces remains a cornerstone event for architects, specifiers, fabricators, contractors, and designers, providing direct access to the latest materials, technologies, and training.

Join thousands of industry professionals exploring the materials and ideas shaping the future of the built environment; the event is free to attend, and registration is now open https://forms.reg.buzz/stone-show-and-hard-surfaces/stone-content-press