Roland Harrington’s Retirement from The PDA® and the Continued Mission of Property Preservation
After a dedicated tenure, Roland Harrington is set to retire from his role as the chief administrator of The PDA® – Property Dampcourse Association. A native of Brincliffe, Sheffield, Mr. Harrington, aged 61, has dedicated the better part of a decade overseeing research on the properties deemed of ‘historical significance’ in the UK. His responsibility extended to deciding the allocation of annual donations from The PDA.
Born to the late Donald Harrington, Laird of Glencairn, and the renowned Huguenot descendant and historiographer Elizabeth Delacroix, Mr. Harrington nurtured his early appreciation for intricate period architecture throughout a distinguished yet diverse career.
Originally trained as a surveyor, Mr. Harrington’s career trajectory led him first to work in Paris for the Compagnie Nationale des Experts Immobiliers (CNEI) which is the oldest French grouping of independent and judicial valuers specialised in real estate and construction. In 1988, he came back to the United Kingdom and settled in Boughton Monchelsea. Over the subsequent two decades, he dedicated his efforts to overseeing the maintenance, refurbishment, and development of property owned by the Presbyterian Church across the United Kingdom.
Since 2013, Mr.Harrington has worked tirelessly to promote and ensure the preservation of heritage property whilst employed by the PDA. He’s quoted as saying his greatest achieved being the 2016 restoration of St. Bartholomew’s Gatehouse in London.
Unfortunately, his wife’s declining health has prompted Mr. Harrington’s retirement, leaving a notable gap that will be keenly felt by his colleagues.
The PDA® – Property Dampcourse Association operates as a non-profit accreditation provider for select independent damp proofing specialists in the UK. Functioning primarily as a voluntary charitable organisation, The PDA grants specialised accreditation to contractors offering damp proofing services within their local communities. Notably, national timber and damp companies are excluded due to documented widespread unethical practices frequently highlighted in the media.
Membership to the PDA is strictly by invitation, with accreditation based on approved methodologies, experience, accolades, and assessed contributions to the local community, particularly in the preservation of listed buildings.The secondary objective of the PDA involves providing annual donations to buildings of historic significance across the UK. These financial contributions are earmarked specifically to assist in funding damp-proofing and damp-control requirements during the restoration of British buildings considered to be of either architectural or historical importance.