Duke sees college preserve the past
His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester recently visited West College Scotland’s Paisley campus.
He saw how students are learning the skills to preserve the town’s built heritage as well as designing modern homes for the 21st century.
College principal and chief executive Audrey Cumberford took him on a tour of the Institute of Construction and Engineering ( ICE), where he was able to see how old craft skills such as slating, stonemasonry, lead bossing and carpentry are being handed down to a new generation of apprentices.
Students, lecturers, and industry trainers were able to describe to His Royal Highness how new technologies are assisting this process.
Tommy Campbell, head of construction, said: “The Duke showed an interest and understanding of the important work we are doing.
“The west of Scotland has a large number of listed buildings and we are keen to make our contribution to maintaining them to the best possible condition. Our students, staff and external partners, were delighted to be able to showcase our work with His Royal Highness.”
At the Abercorn Conference Centre, the Duke also met photography students and spoke to them about their prize-winning portfolios.
Ms Cumberford said: “The visit gave us the opportunity to show the Duke a small part of what we do, in an interesting and engaging way. It was especially pleasing that we were able to demonstrate our college’s commitment to both conserving the past and building the future.”