Bridget Gillard

Bridget Gillard is the joint youngest of five children who grew up in a rectory in North Devon where her father was the parish priest, before the family moved to one of the last large rectories in Exeter. When her father became the Archdeacon of Exeter, she spent the second half of her childhood in the magical surroundings of the Cathedral Close. After studying history of art in London, she worked for English Heritage before moving to Staffordshire where she completed a part-time M.A. in Architectural Conservation and taught in the continuing adult education department at Keele University.

Following a move back to Devon and the tragic death of her first husband in a road accident she joined the Cornwall Archaeological Unit as an urban surveyor and conservation officer. While completing a PhD at the University of Plymouth, she became an associate lecturer teaching architectural history and building conservation.

She is currently the Executive Secretary of the Devonshire Association which organizes events and talks exploring the arts and natural sciences in Devon. She lives in the Exe Valley with her husband, Ian, and gets to London whenever possible to visit her son and the art galleries.