Belfast Buildings Preservation Trust
The Board of Trustees of BBPT is comprised of specialists from the worlds of architecture, public affairs, accountancy and business development. Many of them have been involved with the Trust since its foundation. They are often called upon to offer advice, both individually and collectively, on a range of issues affecting built heritage, regeneration and sustainable development.
Founder & Working Director – Fionnuala Jay-O’Boyle CBE DL
Fionnuala Jay-O’Boyle is Principal Associate of Jay Associates Public & Government Affairs, founded in 1991, and is one of Northern Ireland’s foremost public affairs practitioners. Working in Belfast, London and Dublin, she has extensive experience in the development of public policy, and the promotion of major Northern Ireland food, tourism, environment and heritage initiatives. Fionnuala founded the Belfast Buildings Preservation Trust and remains as its Patron. In addition, she serves as a Trustee of The Prince’s Regeneration Trust, is on The Council of Management of the Architectural Heritage Fund and is a founding member of the cross-sectoral Built Heritage Forum in Northern Ireland; she has previously been Chairman of Belfast Civic Trust, a member of the Northern Ireland Historic Buildings Council, a member of the board of The Irish Landmark Trust and chairman of a major NI Community Development Trust. Awarded MBE for services to conservation in 2000 & CBE for service to Heritage in June 2008, Fionnuala was appointed RSUA (Hon) - Honorary member of the Royal Society of Ulster Architects in 2008, and a Deputy Lieutenant of the City of Belfast in 2009. Having trained as a singer, she is the founding patron of TOSINI (Teachers of Singing in Ireland), and a founding member of the Glenarm Opera Trust. She is also a member of the board of Northern Ireland Opera and the founder and chairman of the Northern Ireland Schools Debating Competition.
Chairman – Paul Millar RIBA, RIAI
Paul Millar is a partner in Kriterion Conservation Architects. He has twenty-five years’ experience of historic and listed buildings and a particular interest in the Arts and Crafts period. Kriterion, with offices in Belfast and Derry, number among their clients the Irish Landmark Trust, Heritage Lottery Fund, Duchas, Clandeboye Estates and the Old Belmont School Preservation Trust. A director of the Belfast Buildings Preservation Trust almost since its inception, Paul became Vice-Chairman in 1998 and Chairman in 2000. He is also a partner in Hamilton Architects and a director of property development company Devarc, which has carried out an office conversion of a 19th Century Church in the Clarendon Conservation Area in Derry.
Treasurer – Charles McMurray ACMA
Upon graduation from Queen’s University in 1977, Charles joined Mothers Pride Bakery as a trainee Accountant. After qualifying in the early 1980s he was Company Accountant for a number of locally owned Companies before joining the National Trust in Northern Ireland as Regional Financial Controller. It was at the National Trust that Charles gained valuable experience of financing and project managing the restoration of listed buildings. In addition, Charles has spent some 18 years as a Committee Member of Hearth Housing Association and Hearth Revolving Fund.
Secretary – John Marshall ACIS
John Marshall joined the Halifax Building Society on leaving Armagh Royal School in 1956 and after 10 years was appointed Asst Manager in the Belfast Branch. He subsequently joined O'Kane Poultry Ltd in 1968 and after 5 years moved as Assistant Registrar, and then Registrar, at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution where he remained until his retirement in 2003. Following retirement he became a Director of BBPT and is happy to have had the opportunity to contribute to recent projects. John became Company Secretary in 2010.
John Bryson DL
A former Chairman and Chief Executive of Spence Bryson Ltd and Director of the Local Enterprise Development Unit, John Bryson has considerable experience of business development and finance issues, having also served as a member of the CBI’s Council for Northern Ireland. His interest in preservation and heritage led him to join the Northern Ireland Committee of the National Trust and he is also a founding Board member of the BBPT. John has a strong interest in the arts, with music being a particular favourite. As such, he has served on the Board of the Queen’s University Centre for the Arts, the City of Belfast School of Music, the Orchestra Committee of the Northern Ireland Arts Council and was President of Belfast Music Society. After retiring from Spence Bryson in 1989, John continued his involvement in public life through a variety of bodies, most notably as a member of the Board of the charity Bryson House.
Marcus Patton OBE BSc RIBA
Marcus trained as an architect at Queen's University before working in planning and conservation in Scotland for a number of years. Since 1978 he has been Director of Hearth, which is a housing association and building preservation trust specialising in the restoration of buildings at risk across Northern Ireland. He has been on the committee of the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society during most of that time, and has written several of its publications. Until recently he was on the Historic Buildings Council for Northern Ireland, and he is currently on the Ministerial Advisory Group for Architecture and the Built Environment.
