Sir Donald Insall, the British architect who helped shape modern approaches to historic-building conservation, has died aged 100. His practice announced his death, Building Design reported on 12 October 2026. Insall’s work—from the study of Chester’s historic fabric to the restoration of Windsor Castle—reflected a central principle: conservation should allow buildings to change and remain useful, rather than freeze them in time.
Who was Donald Insall?
Born in Bristol on 7 February 1926, Insall studied architecture at the Royal West of England Academy School of Architecture. In 1950 he became a Lethaby Scholar of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), an early indication of the conservation work that would define his career.
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He founded Donald Insall Associates in 1958. He retired as chair in 1998 but continued advising the practice, according to its account of his centenary. The firm describes his work as spanning renovation, restoration and urban conservation.
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Making conservation part of a city’s future
Insall’s 1968 study of Chester was an early landmark in urban conservation. He and his team visited more than 400 buildings to identify the qualities that could be retained as the city changed. He was later appointed the City of Chester’s first Conservation Consultant. The work treated a historic city not as a collection of isolated monuments, but as a place whose character could inform its development.
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Restoration and renovation of historic buildings
Projects associated with Insall included the renovation of William Morris’s Kelmscott Manor and the restoration of Windsor Castle following the 1992 fire. Together, they illustrate the range of conservation work: caring for a historic home and repairing a major landmark after severe damage.
Public service and recognition
Insall was a founding commissioner of English Heritage, established in 1984. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1995 and a Knight Bachelor in 2010. In 2024, he received Building Design’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In remarks transcribed by his practice, he said, “Buildings are alive — meeting buildings are just like people.”
Why did Insall distinguish conservation from preservation?
Insall argued that conservation should care for historic buildings while allowing them to evolve. His practice quoted him saying: “The important thing is that it’s conservation we’re all after, not what they used to call preservation. We’re no longer pickling things as they were.”
That distinction helps explain why conservation can involve adaptation as well as repair. A building may need a new use or changes to function in the present, while its significant qualities are understood and cared for. Insall’s language expresses his own approach; the terms “conservation” and “preservation” can be used differently in other professional contexts.
How old was Donald Insall when he died?
Insall was 100. Building Design reported his death on 12 October 2026, citing an announcement by his practice. The available report establishes his age but does not establish a precise date or cause of death.
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Insall’s book Living Buildings: Architectural Conservation: Philosophy, Principles and Practice was published in 2008 and reprinted in 2018 with a foreword by the Prince of Wales, according to his practice. It offers a longer account of his thinking about the care and continued life of buildings.
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Donald Insall Associates continues to provide conservation architecture, heritage consultancy, new design in heritage settings and townscape advice. Its current description of the practice discusses adapting heritage for continued use, as well as sustainability and whole-life carbon. This is the firm’s present-day context, distinct from Insall’s own career and views.
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Sources
- Donald Insall Associates, “Sir Donald Insall celebrates his 100th birthday,” 7 February 2026
- Building Design, “Donald Insall dies aged 100,” 12 October 2026
- Donald Insall Associates, “About — Donald Insall Associates,” accessed 13 October 2026
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