Meet Our Trustees

Peter joined the Board in 2022.  He has a legal and public sector background and spent much of his early working life at Portsmouth City Council.  Following the 1981 Defence Review he created a strategy for the future use and operation of part of HM Naval Base Portsmouth in partnership with the Royal Navy and the English Tourist Board. He established Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust of which he was Chief Executive for over 25 years, a role he continued on a consultancy basis until 2021. He was responsible for the investment of circa £150 million in the regeneration of historic sites on both sides of Portsmouth Harbour, refurbishing and converting to new use many scheduled monuments and listed buildings which now make Portsmouth Historic Dockyard a leading tourist destination on the south coast. He has provided specialist advice to other UK and European naval base regeneration projects. 

Celia joined the board of HBPT when it was formed  as a representative of the Portsmouth Society. She is its longest serving trustee and was for many years its only female member. She is a leading expert on the disposal of surplus government sites and the civilian regeneration of former defence sites, and has written books, articles and academic papers on the subject.

Celia’s career started as a civil servant in the Ministry of Housing and Local Government. Later she was a lecturer in Building Conservation Law and Practice, and the History of Architecture, at Portsmouth Polytechnic / University. She was actively involved in saving several buildings in Portsmouth, including St. Mary’s House (the Portsea Island Union Workhouse), the Ship & Castle pub outside the dockyard gate and No.4 Boathouse in Portsmouth Naval Base Heritage Area.

Wayne was nominated to the board by Eastleigh Borough Council in 2013. Now retired he is Chairman of Eastleigh and District History Society. He previously worked for Southampton City Council museum service, looking after the Woolhouse, Gods House Tower, Tudor House and the Tudor Merchants Hall. 

​

​

​

Christine joined the board in 2023. After a few years’ service in the British Army she became a museum curator and heritage manager with a predilection for military and industrial collections. The last stage in her career was as an adviser in museum governance and business sustainability. She was Chair of Whitchurch Silk Mill where she led a £2million refurbishment project, and is a trustee of HorsePower, the Museum of The King’s Royal Hussars. 

Eleanor Bell joined the board in 2012.  Her main career was in Further and Higher Education teaching and course management, including four years working in Europe and overseas.  After a period of European education project management, she joined the NHS, leading projects on information data requirements for the National Frameworks.
Now retired she is a Winchester City Councillor, Hursley Parish Councillor, and a Trustee of Bursledon Brickworks Museum Trust.  She is a founder member and Trustee for Winchester Action on the Climate Crisis and an Ambassador for Winchester Youth Counselling.

Sarah joined the board in 2018. She trained as an Architectural Designer & Heritage Consultant at Portsmouth University from which she later gained a Master’s Degree in Historic Building Conservation. The majority of her current work is concentrated towards bespoke residential dwellings, both heritage assets and new build designs. Her interest lies in the re-use of redundant military buildings and sites. She is a member of the IHBC, RICS & SPAB

David was nominated to the board in 2016 by Bursledon Brickworks Museum of which he is a trustee. He originally trained as an aeronautical engineer and worked with Hawker Siddely, Rolls-Royce and Dunlop for 30 years. He then retrained as a teacher, was the Technology Adviser for Essex and later Deputy Head of schools in Hampshire. With a passionate interest in anything that moves on 2, 3 or 4 wheels and / or involves steam, he has been a longstanding volunteer of Bursledon Brickworks Museum, initially joining the engineering team and latterly the railway group. He also runs a winter night shelter for the homeless and organises a weekly Food Hub in Basingstoke.

Jacquie Shaw joined the board in 2025 and is a highly experienced PR and communications professional with nearly 40 years of industry experience. She has a natural affinity with the historic built and underwater environment having managed the PR for The Mary Rose Trust, including the opening of its award-winning museum. She was part of the senior leadership team overseeing communications and visitor services at heritage destination Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. She latterly joined The National Museum of the Royal Navy to manage its PR and media during a period of rapid expansion coordinating national campaigns and corporate communications for its historic fleet and award-winning museums across the UK. An experienced trustee, she has been a board member for the Portsmouth Cultural Trust, which operates the Portsmouth Guildhall and Aspex Gallery which supports emerging artists. She also spent a decade as a governor and chair of governors at a successful primary school and now volunteers at Pallant House Gallery and her local U3a.

Phil joined the board in 2025. He has over 20 years’ experience working in IT, almost all of which has been spent in the charity sector. He started as an IT technician at a local internet satellite company before moving to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, latterly the National Museum of the Royal Navy, where he spent nearly 17 years and worked up to Head of IT, responsible for the site IT infrastructure as well as the Audio Visual (AV) museum displays.
He moved to FitzRoy, a charity supporting adults with learning disabilities and autism, in 2021. His experience lies in IT infrastructure and Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms, as well as strong knowledge of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.