Preserving Britain’s Heritage
Posted by at August 14, 2012 in Uncategorized
Many conservational groups endeavour to save Britain’s heritage. Historic preservation in layman’s terms is to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes and other artefacts of historical significance.
UK churches and buildings are architecturally or historically crucial and some historic sites are central in understanding the past in order to concentrate on the future.
Conservationists feel strongly about preserving heritage for the simple reason that the world is changing and developing and it is vital to hold onto our history to show and educate future generations of their past so they know where they came from.
It is for this reason that many buildings are titled listed buildings and this means that they have some sort of historical or special architectural interest. They cannot be demolished or altered without permission from the local planning authority.
Examples of preserved Britain’s Heritage
- Forth Bridge in Scotland
- Stonehenge
- Blackpool Tower
- Royal Albert Hall in London
- Palace of Westminster in London
- Albert Dock in Liverpool
Why is it so important?
A report published in 2010 by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Visit Britain revealed just how influential the UK’s heritage is for the economy. It found:
- Every four in 10 leisure visitors cite heritage as the primary motivation for visiting the UK
- Heritage tourism is a £12.4 billion a year industry
- The total GDP contribution of heritage tourism is £20.6 billion a year
Statutory Criteria for Listed Buildings
For a building to be listed and preserved it needs to meet various criteria. To be given a new lease of life, conditions include:
- National interest; how significant or distinctive is it to society.
- Age; the older a building is and the rarer it is likely to be listed. Buildings less than 30 years old are rarely listed.
- Significance; when there are a large number of buildings of similarity, the most significant will be listed.
- Appearance; the aesthetics of a building are a contributing factor. How it looks is imperative, as deterioration can result in it becoming an eyesore.
Buildings which have been headaches for decades can receive funding to save the precious formation. The National Trust and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) help financially towards the costs of repairs with grants. Often most of the constructions just need some tender loving care to fix the leaking roofs and structural problems to return to normality.
Raise awareness
The very first festival has been created in 2012. It has been organised by the National Federation of Roofing Contractors Scotland to raise awareness of preserving Britain’s heritage. The traditional Buildings Festival hopes to make people conscious of the important of maintaining their flats and houses and the need for traditional skills and material.
John McKinney, from NFRC Scotland, and chairman of the Edinburgh Traditional Building Forum, said: “There’s a genuine interest in the subject of built heritage and also the skills and materials required to build and maintain them for the future.”
Elsewhere, the group ‘SAVE Britain’s Heritage’ is renowned for campaigning for threatened historic buildings since it formed in 1975.
Bio: This article was written by Myredlandroof; the roofing specialists in all self-build projects. Visit the site today for advice on preserving a historical building as well as expert eco roof tiles from Myredlandroof.
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