[HBP#30] - Nathan Goss - Coffins, Castles, & Conservation

🎙️ You can also access the full Audio version of this Podcast by searching for 'Heritage Buildings Podcast' on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, PocketCasts, and your favourite podcast apps.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Welcome to another episode of the Heritage Buildings Podcast.Host Vincent Reed speaks with conservation carpenter and surveyor Nathan Goss about his unconventional journey from leaving school at 15 with dyslexia into a carpentry apprenticeship in South Wales, early work crafting coffins and staircases, and later restoring historic buildings across the UK including projects at Windsor Castle and Hereford Cathedral. Nathan also shares how television opportunities arose through his friendship with Griff Rhys Jones, his transition into a building surveyor role with the National Trust after a rugby injury, and international conservation work with the World Monuments Fund.Topics covered include: • Starting a carpentry apprenticeship at 15 and early work crafting coffins • Restoring major heritage sites including Windsor Castle and historic buildings across Wales • Life as a travelling carpenter working on castles, cathedrals, and historic halls • How a friendship with Griff Rhys Jones led to television and heritage documentaries • Retraining as a National Trust building surveyor after a career-changing rugby injury • International conservation work and training projects in Ethiopia and Sierra LeonePerfect for conservation carpenters, heritage professionals, craftspeople, building surveyors, and anyone passionate about traditional building skills and historic building restoration.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Below is a more detailed breakdown of the video with relevant timestampsClick the time on the left to jump straight to that section00:00 Welcome and Catch Up00:29 School Struggles and Apprenticeship03:17 Early Joinery and Bonus Wages05:20 Coffin Making Mindset09:06 How Coffins Were Built14:20 Glue and Finishing Touches16:18 Leaving Joinery for Restoration 21:16 Windsor Castle and Hand Skills 24:24 Heritage Projects Across Wales 27:27 Life as a Traveling Carpenter 29:33 No Photos Back Then 31:10 St Fagans Museum Work 31:42 St Fagans Church Restoration 33:32 Museum Repairs and Fire Rebuild 34:45 Royal Visits and Moving On 35:22 Meeting Griff Rhys Jones 37:59 Pembroke Slate Roof Dilemma 42:39 Friendship and TV Opportunities 44:06 Pilgrims Walk TV Adventure 46:44 More History Shows and Research 51:40 Rugby Injury and Business Collapse 53:39 National Trust Surveyor Path 59:57 Luck Mindset and New Contacts 01:02:18 Ethiopia Palace Project Hook 01:06:20 Mindblown Heritage Moments 01:07:33 Ethiopia Palace Training 01:10:42 Funding Shift Fallout 01:12:53 Family Travel Juggle 01:15:30 TV Work Reality Check 01:21:39 Sierra Leone Timber Rescue 01:26:03 Mahogany Termite Surprise 01:30:03 Future Plans and Wrap---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Connect with Nathan Goss and learn more:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-goss-18a0b792/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nathangossconservation/Email: nathan@nathangoss.co.ukWebsite: nathangoss.co.uk/---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Learn more about the Heritage Buildings Association:https://heritagebuildingsassociation.comJoin the conversation:https://heritagebuildings.forum/share/dDYOnkLWJAkaA5xE?utm_source=manual#Coffinmaker #WindsorCastle #Ethiopia