John Westwood was born in 1937 in the Black Country and moved to Structon’s Heath, Great Witley after marrying in 1968. John had worked as a bricklayer since leaving school at 15 and he tells of his early career and his life as a National Serviceman.
After many years working in the building industry with his father in the Black Country, when the industry slowed markedly in the early 1970s, John took a range of other jobs but had returned to bricklaying in Great Witley when he heard that a bricklayer was required by the Ministry of Public Building and Works at Witley Court.
John explains how the Ministry’s original idea of making the building safe and excluding the public was changed to a policy of restoration and his contribution to that. John talks about how, in middle age, he went back to college at Worcester at his employer’s urging and was promoted through the ranks to be a Professional and Technical Officer by the time he retired with responsibility for vast swathes of the estate of English Heritage.
Johns recording (60 mins:9 secs):
| Start | Topic | Period |
| 00:34 | Moving to Structon’s Heath | 1970s |
| 01:25 | Birth of daughter | 1970s |
| 01:40 | Started work at Witley Court as a bricklayer | 1960s-1970s |
| 03:00 | Making safe Witley Court | 1970s |
| 03:40 | Promotion to Leading Hand and then Chargehand at Witley Court | 1970s |
| 03:55 | Decision of Historic Buildings & Monuments (then part of Ministry of Public Buildings and Works) to brick up Witley Court | 1970s |
| 05:55 | Members and Officers of Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission review decision to exclude public | 1970s |
| 09:00 | Promotion to Area Foreman | 1970s |
| 09:40 | Goes to Worcester College to get qualified | 1970s |
| 10:25 | Historic Buildings Commission becomes English Heritage | 1970s |
| 10:45 | Appointed as Professional and Technical Officer | 1970s |
| 12:40 | Working across 8 counties for English Heritage | 1980s |
| 14:30 | Retires and pursues hobbies | 1997 |
| 17:30 | Beginning of working life as bricklayer in the Black Country | 1950s |
| 22:10 | Called up for National Service in Royal Artillery | 1950s |
| 22:50 | Applies to Join Paratroop Regiment | 1950s |
| 26:00 | Training for Paratroop Regiment | 1950s |
| 26:35 | Becomes driver in the Army (for Regiment’s Adjutant) | 1950s |
| 35:00 | Leaves Army and returns to bricklaying in the Black Country | 1960s |
| 38:53 | Becomes acetylene welder | 1960s |
| 44:24 | Made redundant and starts window cleaning business | 1960s |
| 45:00 | Opens car body shop in Black Country | 1960s |
| 49:04 | Becomes self-employed builder in local area | 1970s |
| 55:32 | Building repairs to local farms after storm damage | 1975 |
| 58:13 | Decides to apply for bricklaying job at Witley Court | 1976 |
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