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The University of Southampton
HumanitiesPostgraduate study

Karen Fielder PhD History

Karen Fielder's Photo

Hi, I'm Karen Fielder and I studied PhD History within Humanities at the University of Southampton.

When the PhD is over, I’m hoping to use the skills I’ve learned through work and study in an area such as heritage consultancy.

Karen has a unique challenge for her PhD research. She is probing the history of a country house in Oxfordshire – but it burned down in the 1950s! She explains: "Coleshill House was a very early example of an English classical house, built in the 17th century. I’m looking through the archives and the other sources, there’s a great deal of material available at places such as the British Library and the record offices." Visitors can still explore the Coleshill estate and some of the house’s outbuildings are still standing.

Her architectural history PhD is a collaborative studentship funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council with support from the National Trust which is the non-academic partner for the project. Karen has returned to full-time study after working as a conservation officer at Essex County Council. She has also been a social history curator at the Museum of London and a company archivist for Sainsbury’s. She has a BA in Prehistory and Archaeology from the University of Sheffield, a masters in Museum Studies from University College London and a postgraduate diploma in Historic Conservation.

Karen says: "I always thought I would go back to studying and I’m enjoying this opportunity to research one building in detail." She still lives in Essex but frequently keeps in touch with her supervisor and staff at Southampton. "When the PhD is over, I’m hoping to use the skills I’ve learned through work and study in an area such as heritage consultancy."

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