I Regard This Job As A Huge Privilege

English Heritage’s Kate Mavor shares her enthusiasm for history and her work with Gillian Thornton.

- Kate Mavor

LONDON’S not short of iconic viewpoints, but there’s nothing quite like the panorama from the roof terrace of Wellington Arch.

On one side, the tree lined avenue of Constitution Hill divides Green Park from the grounds of Buckingham Palace, whilst on the other, Park Lane and Knights bridge converge at Hyde Park Corner beneath Apsley House, former home of the Duke of Wellington.

So I couldn’t have a more atmospheric location for my meeting with Kate Mavor who was appointed Chief Executive of English Heritage in 2015.

Wellington Arch and Apsley House are two of the charity’s most popular London visitor attractions, so it’s fitting to stand on the roof of one whilst looking across at the other.

“The job really appealed to me because English Heritage was splitting into two different organisations,” Kate, formerly Chief Executive of National Trust for Scotland, explains. “My challenge was to make the organisation work as a charity, rather than as a government agency.

“English Heritage looks after the National Heritage Collection, more than four hundred historic sites that include Stonehenge, the 1066 Battle of Hastings battlefield, and parts of Hadrian’s Wall.

“We also run London’s iconic blue plaques scheme. And the new Historic England organisation – which is still a government service – champions our wider heritage and provides expert advice.”

Kate’s soft Scottish accent belies the fact that she was born in London and has only spent 11 years of her adult life north of the border.

Her background is business and marketing, but her passion has always been history, so working in heritage is a dream job for the mother-of-two.