On October 11, 2026, Donald Insall Associates announced the passing of its founder, Sir Donald Insall. Describing him as "a man of great tact, charm and humour," the practice recognized his contribution to the structures, institutions, and tools of heritage preservation in England, as well as his practical knowledge and application of the craft of restoration. An architect, conservationist, planning consultant, author, and teacher, he led one of Britain's leading conservation practices for four decades after founding it in 1958. His practice undertook the renovation of William Morris's Kelmscott Manor in Oxfordshire and Robert Adam's Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire, the conservation of Chester's historic center, and the restoration of Windsor Castle following the 1992 fire, among other British landmarks.
Insall is recognized for helping shape the modern approach to historic buildings. He is remembered for insisting on the difference between preservation, the act of keeping buildings in their original state for posterity, and conservation, which allows historic buildings, streets, and towns to live usefully by adapting them to new uses and future generations. He believed that buildings change as society changes, as part of a "lively continuity." In conservation, he held that the most important matter was the care and attention given not only to buildings but also to their relationship with their surroundings, whether streets, towns, or larger cities. As his studio remembers, the work of conservation architects is to "make every place to be truly more itself."
He was born in Bristol, England, in February 1926, into a family of leather, trunk, and portmanteau manufacturers, which gave him an early familiarity with craftsmanship. He studied at the Royal West of England Academy School of Architecture from 1942 to 1948, then moved to London to study civic design at the Royal Academy Schools and later at the School of Planning. He was a Lethaby Scholar with the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB, founded by William Morris in 1877), as was his fellow scholar and future associate Peter Locke. The two founded Donald Insall Associates in 1958. As is inherent to the restoration field, the practice frequently collaborated with traditional craftsmen, architects, and builders. Insall was awarded an OBE in 1981, a CBE in 1995, and a knighthood in 2010. He was a founding commissioner of English Heritage in 1984. He retired as chairman of his practice in 1998, at the age of 72.
"I think that as a result of our experience over the years, we have developed a method that we feel is a wise one. We always try to make friends with the building itself, but also with its current users, so that both their respective needs can be met. We prepare a life story of the building, and from there we assess the building's positive aspects. We also take a look at its less successful features and see how these can be helped. However, the important thing is to take a positive approach to the project."
Beyond practical work, he helped institutionalize conservation in the planning process and disseminate knowledge about heritage. He published the report The Care of Old Buildings in 1957; a study of the conservation of Chester, a city founded as a Roman fortress in the 1st century AD, in 1968; The Care of Old Buildings Today: A Practical Guide with Architectural Press in 1972; and, in 2008, Living Buildings: Architectural Conservation, Philosophy, Principles and Practice, which summarized his philosophy and approach (reprinted in 2018 with a foreword by the then–Prince of Wales). His practice describes the latter as "a comprehensive testament to all that's best in the work of conservation architects."
