Rob Woodside has joined Chronicle Heritage as its Global Director of Built Heritage, signaling a new chapter of international growth and industry leadership for the division.
Woodside is a highly respected built heritage specialist with extensive experience in historic building analysis and conservation strategy. His appointment strengthens Chronicle’s capacity to deliver expert heritage advice in the UK, Saudi Arabia, and the United States, as well as globally, ensuring clients benefit from industry-leading insight and a rigorous, evidence-based approach to managing the historic environment, in line with delivering informed, high-quality built heritage advice across complex and sensitive projects.
Woodside, a native of Gloucestershire, England, has over 30 years of experience caring for some of the most significant historic buildings and ancient monuments in the UK, including Stonehenge, Hadrian’s Wall, Osborne House, and Dover Castle.
“I’ve been lucky to have cared for some of the most wonderful places in the UK – moving to Chronicle Heritage is a great opportunity to now work internationally, to do more to support heritage in the Middle East and the US, as well as building on my experience in the UK,” he said.
Most recently, Woodside was Director of Conservation and Estates at English Heritage, a charity that manages over 400 historic places in England, including the aforementioned monuments. At English Heritage, he led built heritage conservation, project management, sustainability, biodiversity and risk management, delivering the largest program of conservation in the history of the organization. He was also a member of the charity’s Senior Leadership Team responsible for leading over 2,000 employees, 5,000 volunteers and 1.2 million members, welcoming six million visitors a year.
While at English Heritage, he authored the Sustainable Conservation Principles, transforming approaches to research and heritage practice, encouraging new skills and engaging with millions of visitors through Conservation in Action.
Working through his team, project accomplishments and accolades at English Heritage included:
- Europa Nostra award-winning restoration of Ironbridge
- RIBA Stirling Award nominated bridge at Tintagel Castle
- Reinterpretation of the medieval tunnels at Dover Castle
- Transformation of Clifford’s Tower in York
- Emergency responses and strategic planning for Hurst Castle
Prior to his time at English Heritage, Woodside was Assistant Director of Consultancy at the National Trust, where he was a member of the London & South East Regional Management Team. Woodside was responsible for the operation, financial management and conservation of over a quarter of all properties in the care of the National Trust, with 1,500 staff and five million visitors.
He had oversight and governance of major conservation and capital investment projects including Knowle, Stowe, the Cliveden House, and the Clandon Park fire. He also secured funding to lead a transformative public engagement programme at Runnymede aligned with the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, with new landscape interpretation, habitat improvement and contemporary artworks that spoke to the values of democracy.
Before that, Woodside was Associate Director of Heritage at Atkins following an early professional career as an archaeologist in the National Trust.
Woodside also holds a number of notable advisory positions with British, as well as international, heritage programs:
- He is Project Partner and Co-Chair of the Coastal Connections programme with the World Monument Fund. In this role, he established an international knowledge exchange partnership for coastal heritage at risk following the 2022 nomination of Hurst Castle to World Monuments Watch.
- He is a Specialist Assessor with the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund, assessing funding bids in Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Libya, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Pakistan and Nepal.
- He is a regular guest lecturer at University College London, teaching students on heritage led approaches to sustainability
- He is a member of the International Advisory Board for the Centre for Historic Houses of India, advising the director on approaches to heritage conservation, interpretation and community engagement.
- He is Chair of the ICOMOS UK Climate Action Working Group, integrating climate action across all ICOMOS UK and World Heritage Site committee activities
- He has supported ICCROM in training heritage professionals and capturing approaches to heritage led development in South East Asia
Woodside has a Master of Science in Built Environment with a concentration in Sustainable Heritage from University College London, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) in Archaeology from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Woodside’s professional and personal motto is “sustain your heritage and feel glorious.”
“It comes from the Archaeological Survey of India,” he said. “You’ll see those words engraved when you visit their sites. As a heritage professional, I can’t think of a better sentiment.”