Michael Morrison reappointed as Historic England Commissioner

The Secretary of State has reappointed Michael Morrison as a Commissioner of Historic England for a second term of three years from 1 June 2019.

Michael is a Conservation Architect with forty years’ experience of working on National Trust Houses, Churches and Museums and Galleries.

He joined Purcell, a major firm of Conservation Architects, in 1973 and has been both the Managing Partner and Chairman of the firm. He retired as Chairman in 2010 but remains a Partner in the firm. For twelve years from 1998 – 2000 he was the appointed Architect for all the work at the National Gallery and has also worked at the British Museum and several local Museums and Galleries.

Michael now heads the Heritage Conservation division of Purcell which employs architectural historians, archaeologists and conservators alongside architects. In 2008 he opened the practices office in Hong Kong and has been closely involved with a major conservation project repairing and reordering the nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings of the Central Police Station and Victoria Gaol.

Michael has been a member of the Expert Panel for Heritage Lottery Fund, the Architectural Panel for the National Trust and a Trustee of the Greenwich Foundation. He is the United Kingdom representative on the ICOMOS International Polar Heritage Committee – having worked on the conservation of the historic huts of Scott and Shackleton in Antarctica and he is currently advising the Government of South Georgia on the future of the disused whaling stations on the Island.

This role is remunerated at £4133 per annum. This reappointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

The Government’s Governance Code requires that any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years is declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation or candidature for election. Michael has made no such declaration.