• Helen Giles showing members of the Art Fund board the Hertford Museum redevelopment

    Helen Giles showing members of the Art Fund board the Hertford Museum redevelopment

HELEN GILES AMA – Museum Consultant

I am a hardworking and friendly museum consultant who is passionate about heritage and museums.  I have a postgraduate qualification in Museum Studies (University of St Andrews) and a degree in Ancient History and Archaeology (University of Liverpool). Since 2004, I have been an Associate of the Museums Association, and I firmly believe in continual professional development through research and training.

My museum career began in 1998, as a Documentation Assistant at the Museum of Lakeland Life in Kendal, working on an amazing costume collection dating from 1750 – 1980.  When this contract ended, I joined the Merseyside Maritime Museum as Assistant Curator of Maritime History, where I looked after the largest object in the collection, the ‘Edmund Gardner’ pilot cutter.  I later became Curator of Land Transport and Industrial collections at the Museum of Liverpool Life before relocating to Hertfordshire to become Curator at Hertford Museum from 2002 to 2011. During my time at Hertford Museum, I led the successful £1.2 million Heritage Lottery Funded development project (2007 – 2011), which you can read about below.

Following the success of the major Heritage Lottery funded development project at Hertford Museum, I joined Hertsmere Borough Council as their Heritage and Museums Officer, advising and supporting three volunteer-run museums grant funded by the council. During my 15 months as Museums Officer, my achievements included another successful Heritage Lottery funded grant to relocate Elstree and Borehamwood Museum and create a new museum in a shared community venue. The new venue opened in 2013 and the new facilities were well received by the local community.

In 2012, I became Curator of The Norris Museum in Cambridgeshire, where I secured another Heritage Lottery-funded grant (Round 1 pass) to redevelop the museum and the services it provides.

Seeking fresh challenges within the museum and heritage world, I became a freelance Museum Consultant in January 2015, starting HG Museum Consultancy. The first few months were incredibly rewarding, and the work has been very diverse! One of my first commissions involved a long-term project assisting Watford Museum with plans for a major development to their Grade II listed Georgian townhouse.  Further commissions have seen me work with numerous museums and heritage organisations, including:

  • Bentley Priory
  • Chiltern Open Air Museum
  • Higgins Museum
  • Holkham Hall
  • Lichfield Cathedral
  • Stevenage Museum
  • Swaffham Museum
  • The Friends of Highgate Roman Kiln
  • The Panacea Museum
  • The University of Hertfordshire Art Collection
  • Wardown House Museum and Gallery
  • Watford Museum
  • Welwyn Hatfield Museum Service

  • I’m passionate about all things museum and heritage

    I love working with museum and heritage organisations to help them reach their full potential.  I relish new opportunities and challenges and enjoy working with a wide range of people on diverse projects.  When I am not working, I’m often found visiting museums, historic houses, churches or similar with family and friends; let’s call it continual professional development!

  • 22 Years experience

    I have a wide range of hands-on curatorial and management experience in museums and heritage across national, local authority and independent museums.

  • Flexible approach

    I can be flexible and adapt to all sorts of roles and projects. Whatever your type or size of organisation, I am happy to fit in with your organisation’s specific needs and work with staff, trustees and volunteers as required.

  • Going the extra mile ...

    I relish hard work and am driven and focused.  I’ll go the extra mile to deliver work that meets all your requirements; on time and on budget.

Expertise & Achievements

  • Hertford Museum’s Development Project

    My role was to lift the museum out of its then stagnant state and breathe new life into it, which I am proud to say we achieved with energy and enthusiasm!  Although the museum was once again a popular place to visit, the building and the permanent displays were in dire need of improvement, having lacked any real investment for many years. In 2003, the museum’s centenary year, I initiated the ‘Museum Development Project’ and its delivery became my main responsibility. The project took seven years to complete, starting with a number of feasibility studies and plans, to preparing for a major HLF application and culminating in the newly refurbished Hertford Museum opening in early 2010.

    Throughout the Hertford Museum development, in addition to my duties as Museum Curator I also took on the role as Project Manager which was challenging and meant that I was continually working under pressure and to tight deadlines.  The experience greatly increased my knowledge of the intricacies of Heritage Lottery funding, building work, historic building maintenance and creating new museum displays.

    The Museum Development Project focused on the following:

    • The sympathetic repair and modernisation of the Grade II listed museum building
    • New and improved displays and interpretation, with more objects on display
    • The employment of a Learning Officer (3 year position) and a related programme of learning and outreach activities for all ages and interests
    • A brand new extension for learning activities (known as ‘The Andrews Room’)
    • Better disabled access to the museum including lift access to the first floor displays
    • A more welcoming museum reception and shop
    • Enhanced collections care and environmental conditions
    • A new ‘Resource Room’ for visitors and researchers to get access to the museum’s collections of maps, plans and other documents

    The total cost of the Museum Development Project was £1.2 million, with a HLF grant of £985,000. We successfully raised the remaining £215,000 through events, individual and company donations and grants. The Development Project put Hertford Museum on a sustainable footing for future generations and secured its place as a key community facility in the very centre of Hertford life.

    As a testimony to the success of the development project, Hertford Museum was long listed for the prestigious Art Fund Prize in 2011.

  • Successful ‘Our Heritage’ grant for Elstree & Borehamwood Museum

    Successful Heritage Lottery Fund ‘Our Heritage’ Grant for funding towards a relocation and re-display of Elstree and Borehamwood Museum within a new community venue.

  • HLF Heritage Grant (Phase 1) for The Norris Museum, Cambridgeshire

    Achievement of Heritage Lottery Fund Heritage Grant (Phase 1) for The Norris Museum’s major capital project ‘Huntingdonshire’s Heritage’. Project management of Phase 1, including appointing and working with architects, designers, conservators and other consultants.

  • Other Grant Applications (non HLF)

    Successful grant applications and fundraising for a variety of work including collections care and conservation, touring exhibitions and equipment.

  • Museum Accreditation

    Sucessful award of full Museum Accreditation for Hertford Museum, Bushey Museum and the Norris Museum. Provided Accreditation consultancy to The Higgins Bedford and Watford Museum.

  • Forming Successful Partnerships

    A successful track record of working in partnership with a variety of community and business organisations.

  • Volunteer recruitment, training & retention

    More than 20 years’ experience of recruiting, training and motivating voluteers for a wide range of roles, including collections & exhibitions work, front of house, running events and assisting with learning and outreach.

  • Giving back to the museum community

    In order to give something back to the profession I’m so passionate about, I freely provide my time as an Accreditation Mentor for Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge and The View in Epping Forest and am also a collections volunteer for Bishop’s Stortford Museum.