Sir Donald William Insall (born 7 February 1926) is a British architect, conservationist and author, who has been described as "one of the leading conservation architects of his generation". He is the founder of the architectural, conservation and architectural consultancy practice, Donald Insall Associates.
Early life Insall was born on 7 February 1926 in Bristol, where he attended Bristol Grammar School. He served in the Coldstream Guards during the Second World War and qualified in architecture at the Royal West of England Academy School of Architecture, now part of the University of Bristol. He then studied at the Royal Academy and the School of Planning.
Career Insall worked with the London architects, Phillimore and Jenkins. During 1957 Insall published his report The Care of Old Buildings, marking the 80th anniversary of the founding by William Morris of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. During 1958 he founded architectural conservation practice Donald Insall Associates, and was joined shortly after by Peter Locke (1929–2013), both men having been Lethaby Scholars of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in 1950.
Insall was appointed the City of Chester's consultation consultant in 1960, a post he held until 1978.
Donald Insall Associates continues its specialist work in conservation, historic consultancy, adaptive re-use and new buildings in sensitive sites. Insall ran the practice until his retirement in 1998, and continues active as a Consultant.
Honours In the 1981 Birthday Honours Insall was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). In the 1995 New Year Honours he was promoted to Commander of the Order (CBE) for services to conservation. Subsequently, he was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the Queen's 2010 Birthday Honours.
In recognition of his conservation work in Chester, Insall received the honorary freedom of the City of Chester in 1999. He has also received Europa Nostra's Medal of Honour.
Insall was awarded the honorary degrees of Doctor of Laws from the University of Bristol in 2004 and Doctor of Architecture from the University of Chester in 2012.
Personal life Insall lives on Kew Green in Kew, south west London. He and his wife Libby have two sons and one daughter. His elder son, Robert Insall, is the professor of computational cell biology at University College London and a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He is a life member of the Royal Photographic Society which he joined in 1949.The Photographic Journal, June 1949, p. 148.
On 7 February 2026, he celebrated his 100th birthday.
Publications The Care of Old Buildings, report (1957) Chester: A Study in Conservation (1968) The Care of Old Buildings Today: A Practical Guide (Architectural Press, 1972) Living Buildings: Architectural Conservation, Philosophy, Principles and Practice (Images Publishing Group Pty Ltd, 2008 and 2018)
Selected projects Windsor Castle restoration following the 1992 Windsor Castle fire Battle of Britain Monument in London Palace of Westminster Cross Bath, Bath, Somerset, refurbished in the 1990s Somerset House Garrick's Temple to Shakespeare Plumpton Place Wotton House Chester Conservation Plan Market Hall, Monmouth – a new flat roof for the single storey building, together with a Modernist metal and glass facade at the rear, overlooking the River Monnow, in 1968–69Newman, John. The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire, Penguin Books, 2000, , pp.405–406 Kedleston Hall Kelmscott Manor Chevening, Kent Goldsmiths' Hall, London Mansion House, London Somerset House, London The Holme, Regents Park, London The Vyne, Hampshire Croft Castle, Herefordshire Berrington Hall, Herefordshire Speke Hall, Liverpool Trafalgar Square paving, London Queen Mother Memorial, The Mall, London
References
External links Donald Insall Associates 50th Anniversary Newsletter Interview with Insall Donald Insall Associates website Bristol University Honorary Degree and profile