Founders & Owners
Historyonics was formed by R. E. (Bob) Child BSc., FIIC., FSA. From 1989, Bob was Head of Conservation at the National Museum and Galleries of Wales in Cardiff. His intimate working knowledge of collections led to his becoming a champion for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in museums and historic houses. In his later years, Bob was a visiting lecturer at numerous institutions in the UK, including the Sotheby’s Institute, the Institute of Archaeology, the Science Museum, the Wallace Collection and the British Museum.
Bob was for many years a highly valued expert adviser to the National Trust, travelling the country to identify the pests afflicting their collections and advising on suitable means of control. Among many others, he also advised Historic Royal Palaces and English Heritage. He created Historyonics in 1995, as he saw that in addition to expert advice, there was an opportunity to supply insect traps and pheromone products to many clients across the world.
Bob sadly passed away at the end of 2019 and since the start of 2020 Historyonics has been managed and run by David Loughlin M.Sc. who merged the activity with his existing pheromone lure and trapping business.
With a first degree in Forestry and Applied Zoology (Bangor, N. Wales) and a Masters in Pest Management (Imperial College, London), David has worked in the pest management industry since 1986.
He founded Sentomol Ltd. in order to help develop the market for innovative pest management solutions, including pheromones and trap solutions and non-chemical solutions to pest management. Today, Historyonics continues to be a source of reliable products and advice on all aspects of insect pests in the heritage sector. The company continues to be a proud supplier to the National Trust, English Heritage, members of the Historic Houses Association and many fine museums (in the UK and overseas), galleries, and private collectors as well as domestic householders who have similar pest problems.
The company and its small and dedicated team is located near Monmouth, in the county of Monmouthshire, on the Wales-England border. The town is itself historically famous in having the only remaining medieval fortified river bridge in Great Britain; as the birth-place of King Henry V of England (1386-1422); the home of Charles Stewart Rolls (1877-1910), co-founder of the Rolls Royce car manufacturing firm and the site of Wales’ oldest theatre now occupied by The Savoy.