Accreditations & Team

We are accredited by the IIC, which is the international body for conservators of all disciplines and exists to promote the knowledge, methods and working standards needed to protect and preserve historic and artistic works throughout the world. Fellows are elected from long-standing members by ballot, by other Fellows. Furthermore, we are also accredited by the BAPCR, which is the professional body for practising paintings conservators based in the UK. They administer an accreditation system Fellowship, which is awarded following an examination of a candidate’s work by other Fellows.

Philip Robinson – Philip has over 50 years’ experience as a restorer. He has lectured on conservation and holds fellowships of both the IIC (International Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works) and BAPCR (the British Association of Paintings Conservator-Restorers). From time to time Philip has served on the Council of the BAPCR, and has been its Chair several times.

Michael Robinson – Michael is also a Fellow of the IIC and BAPCR. He has lectured at the Courtauld Institute, the former SSCR and the BAPCR, and has written articles for the BAPCR journal. Apart from being our modern paintings specialist, Michael’s depth of experience in all fields of restoration, cleaning, retouching and structural work (including lining and panel work), across all genres, means that his expertise is often sought in order to appraise the precise condition of paintings prior to purchase in the UK and in Europe. He has been with J.H Cooke and Sons since 1981.

Simon Padfield – Originally trained in all aspects of conservation and restoration, Simon is now the structural specialist at J.H Cooke and Sons, dealing with joining and tear repair, de-lining, relining and surface corrections. He has been with the company since 1990 and is a Fellow of BAPCR, and has an MA in the Conservation of Paintings. He was founding editor of The Picture Restorer, the journal of the BAPCR, from its inception in 1992 until 2008. Like Philip, Simon has served on the Council of the BAPCR.

Luke Williams – Luke excelled at drawing and painting from a young age, after a spell studying fine art he chose to pursue a career as a picture restorer. He gained work experience at a number of London restoration studios, in particular assisting with the restoration of Hubert Robert’s masterpiece “Le Pont Sur Le Torrent”. This cumulative experience resulted in an eight year apprenticeship at J.H Cooke & Sons. He learnt the techniques of lining, panel work, cleaning and restoration under the supervision of his experienced colleagues, which is reflected in his recognised skills and judgement as a respected colleague at J.H Cooke & Sons. Luke has been with the company for 11 years helping solve complex structural work, meticulous restorations on a comprehensive range of paintings by artists such as Van Goyen, George Romney, Alfred Sisley and Ben Nicholson to name only a few. Luke is a member of the BAPCR, and is a talented artist in his own right.