30 May. John Ashurst, a long-time ICCROM collaborator in the field of conservation of masonry and mortars, died at his home in the United Kingdom on 19 May 2008. He was 71 years old. 

Professor Ashurst was an architect who worked for over 20 years in public service, first with the Ancient Monuments Division of the Ministry of Public Building and Works and later as a principal architect for English Heritage, in charge of research, technical advice, and training. After leaving English Heritage, he was appointed Professor of Heritage Conservation at Bournemouth University where he developed a new specialist course on building conservation. From 1991 he worked in private practice, most recently as a partner at Ingram Consultancy, a private firm focusing on conservation and repair of historic buildings and archaeological sites.

He was a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and honorary member of the Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyors Association (EASA).

Professor Ashurst was the author of many seminal books on conservation including Mortars, Plasters and Renders in Conservation, The Conservation of Building and Decorative Stone (with Francis Dimes), Practical Building Conservation (with Nicola Ashurst), Stone in Building - Its Use and Potential Today (with Francis Dimes), Specification - Stone Masonry (with Francis Dimes), and most recently, Conservation of Ruins.

Professor Ashurst was an important influence on many of the conservation professionals who passed through ICCROM over the years. He was a lecturer at ICCROM's 'Architectural Conservation Course' from 1978 to 1993, where he was considered one of the finest teachers and collaborators. He also lectured regularly at the 'International Course on the Technology of Stone Conservation' (the Venice Stone Course) from 1983 to 1997.

He made a significant contribution to ICCROM's work over the past thirty years, and he will be greatly missed by ICCROM staff and our extensive network of professionals around the world.

updated on: 2 June, 2008