My graduate job... restoring Nelson’s Column

Working on the cleaning and restoration of Nelson’s Column was an exciting project for Charlie Tosswill, then an assistant building surveyor, to be involved with. ‘As it’s such a landmark London monument, there was a huge amount of public interest,’ explains Charlie, ‘and the project held a high degree of visibility for my company – who were appointed as project managers – and the client, the Greater London Authority (GLA). The excitement around the project was enhanced by the high morale of the team and the good working relationship we had with the client.’

Restoring a monument

Charlie selected his APC route to gain experience in conservation work and, with a position on the historic buildings team, was well-placed to work on Nelson’s Column. He spent three months on the project as assistant project manager, under the senior building surveyor. ‘Together we worked alongside a conservational architect, the staff of the principal contractor and our contact at the GLA,’ he explains.

A working day for Charlie is usually 9.00 am to 6.00 pm but, as he was working on this project in parallel with numerous others, the time he spent on Nelson’s Column varied each week. He was responsible for chairing weekly progress meetings, reporting to the client and co-ordinating the various teams involved. ‘I also advised on the technical aspects of the work in consultation with the conservation architect,’ he says, ‘and carried out quality inspections.’

There was a lot to be learned from such a unique project. ‘From a management point of view I developed my skills in co-ordinating work between the various project stakeholders and the client,’ explains Charlie. ‘On the technical side, I learned a great deal about the restoration of granite, sandstone and bronze.’

When restoring a historical monument or building, Charlie and his building surveying team look to use material that is as good a match as possible – using stone from the original quarry, for example.

Perks of the job

‘The variety of projects I get to work on as a building surveyor is great, and I like being able to deliver results for clients,’ says Charlie. Job variety can also bring some interesting perks: ‘15 members of the project team, including the client, stone masons and architects, had a very memorable dinner to celebrate the completion of the project,’ he reveals. ‘It was on top of Nelson’s Column, complete with a string quartet and champagne! It was certainly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!’

Charlie Tosswill was an assistant building surveyor with EC Harris LLP during this project. He has a BA in management studies with French from the University of Nottingham and a PGDip in building surveying from London South Bank University.