New President for the Suffolk Preservation Society

The Suffolk Preservation Society is thrilled to announce the appointment of its new President, Lois Hunt. Lois has been a valued Trustee of the county-wide heritage charity since 2016. In her new role as President, Lois will be continuing her support, with a particular passion for heritage crafts and their importance in the preservation of Suffolk’s unique buildings and landscapes.

Lois writes to our Members and Supporters:

It is with great delight, and no small sense of surprise, that I write to you as your new President of the Suffolk Preservation Society. It is a privilege I do not take lightly.

I am acutely aware that I follow in the footsteps of two exceptional presidents, Lord Marlesford and Geoffrey Probert whose shoes are very large to fill indeed.

At the same time, I am determined that we should look forward with energy and ambition. Suffolk is a county of extraordinary richness — its landscapes, its architecture, its history and its people are a constant source of inspiration — and the Society’s role in celebrating and safeguarding that heritage has never been more important. A place of ancient market towns, medieval wool churches, unspoilt coastline, working farmland and a vernacular architecture found nowhere else in the country. Its flint-faced cottages, timber-framed farmhouses and moated manor houses are not merely picturesque: they are the expression of centuries of Suffolk life, and are irreplaceable.

The pressures facing that heritage have never been greater. Development, changing land use, neglect and the steady erosion of local distinctiveness all pose real and continuing threats. In this context, the work of the Society matters enormously. For a century, the Society has been a vigilant and informed voice for the county’s built and natural heritage — scrutinising planning applications, campaigning for endangered buildings and landscapes, and ensuring that the people and institutions with the power to shape Suffolk’s future do so with a proper understanding of what is at stake.

There is one further dimension of this work that I feel strongly about, and that is the survival of the traditional building trades and crafts upon which the care of our historic built environment depends. A medieval church or a timber-framed farmhouse can only be properly maintained by people with the skills to work in lime, flint, oak, brick and thatch and those skills are in real danger of being lost. I am keen that we actively support apprenticeships in the traditional building crafts, helping to nurture the next generation of craftspeople whose hands-on knowledge will be vital to Suffolk’s heritage as well as providing opportunities for young people.  This is a cause I hope you will support.

Many of you bring specialist knowledge, professional expertise or simply a passionate local attachment to the Society’s work. That breadth is one of our greatest strengths. Together, we can ensure that the Suffolk Preservation Society remains not just relevant, but indispensable, in the decades to come.

To mark the Society’s centenary, we are planning to publish a book celebrating the Society’s history and its county.  This will not be a conventional record, however — I would like it to be a celebration of the surprising, the hidden, the gloriously eccentric and the unexpectedly beautiful.

I am therefore asking members to help us. Is there a building in your village that few people know about but that everyone should? A landscape that has changed little since the medieval period? A forgotten corner of Suffolk with a remarkable story to tell? Please do contact us with your suggestions — the more unusual and unexpected, the better. This book will be all the richer for your contributions.

We are also planning a programme of events that I hope will be stimulating, enjoyable and genuinely memorable. I would encourage every member to take part. These occasions are at their best when they draw on the breadth of our membership — your company, your curiosity and your conversation are what make them so rewarding.

With kindest regards,

Lois Hunt