Heritage Open Days 2010

Heritage Open Days celebrates England’s fantastic architecture and culture by offering free access to properties that are usually closed to the public or normally charge for admission. Every year on four days in September, buildings of every age, style and function throw open their doors, ranging from castles to factories, town halls to tithe barns, parish churches to Buddhist temples. It is a once-a-year chance to discover hidden architectural treasures and enjoy a wide range of tours, events and activities which bring to life local history and culture.

Heritage Open Days was established in 1994 as England’s contribution to European Heritage Days, in which 49 countries now participate. In the UK, four other schemes open up places in September: Open House London, Doors Open Days in Scotland, Open Doors Days in Wales and European Heritage Days in Northern Ireland.



The dates for 2010 have been confirmed as Thursday 9 - Sunday 12 September. I would urge you all to go and make the best of the open days that only happen once a year. It is a fantastic idea to get people interacting with the heritage on their doorstep and nationwide that they may perhaps not see otherwise.

Tangible and Intangible Heritage

Intangible and tangible heritage are two different heritage experiences.Tangible heritage is the physical aspect, objects, buildings, things that you can see, touch and do, like activities, whereas intangible heritage is less obvious, its an emotional connection, morals, beliefs, values, traditions. Both are important for heritage, but intangible heritage has been going unnoticed. This is starting to change, as both tangible and intangible heriage is now being included in organisational strategies, for example Unesco have really pushed it.

Haitis Earthquake

Haiti situated in the western hemisphere, part of Latin America is an underdeveloped country. On the 12th January 2010 an earthquake measuring 7.0 magnitude struck the country with devestating effects. The city capital Port au Prince has beed left in ruins. The presedential palace, parliament and many other fundamental structures have been destroyed. The death toll has been estimated at 150,000 but it could increase as many have been left homeless and in ill health.

Haiti was inscribed on the Unesco world heritage list in 1982 for the National History Park. The park consisted of monuments dating from the beginning of the 19th century, when Haiti proclaimed its independence. The Palace of Sans Souci, the buildings at Ramiers and, in particular, the Citadel serve as universal symbols of liberty, being the first monuments to be constructed by black slaves who had gained their freedom.

Now the earthquake has hit, Unesco have said that saving lives and providing humanitarian relief remain the absolute priority of the international community in helping Haiti deal with the devastation of the earthquake. Information is beginning to arrive about the state of the country's heritage: the National History Park - Citadel, Sans Souci, Ramiers, situated in the north of the country, and about Jacmel, in the southeast.

The National History Park, which includes the ruins of a royal palace and the largest fortress of the western hemisphere, appears to have been largely spared by the quake. But UNESCO is still waiting for detailed information about the impact of the quake on the property which was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1982.

Reports of extensive damage are coming in from Jacmel, the colonial city the Haitian authorities placed on their "tentative list" in 2004 with a view to proposing its inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Many of the buildings of the French colonial town, founded in the late 17th century are reported to have collapsed.

The World Heritage Centre will be helping Haiti assess the extent of the damage and determine how to go about saving its heritage as soon as possible.

Lets hope as much can be saved as possible and that as many people as possible can be given the help they need to survive!
Please see the following links:
http://www.redcross.org.uk/donatesection.asp?id=102260
http://www.news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/americas/2010/haiti_earthquake/default.stm
http://www.whc.unesco.org/en/news/579

Will the Cadburys take over mean loosing a piece of heritage?

Cadbury was founded almost 200 years ago by John Cadbury who was a philanthropist. He was hugely influential in social reform and helped transform society and industry in Victorian Britain. His sons shared his ideas and when they took over they built a factory in Bournville, on a greenfield site four miles from Birmingham.

Their ideas for housing with gardens and green spaces, easy access to canals, roads, trains and clean running water transformed the Cadbury brand, it became a brand for the British public who not only enjoyed the products but were also proud to be workers. The company had changing rooms, affordable well built semi detached homes, fields next to the factory where workers were encouraged to play cricket and football, and the girls had a playground, all the staff had access to a kitchen.

Cadburys has remained popular ever since, however it entered the new year with a take over bid from american giant Kraft. This has lead to the company no longer being British and the civic pride felt by the British residents and employees has been lost. It is still uncertain what will happen to the trust or the museum on the Bournville site, but it is clear that Cadburys has become lost forever and is now a memory.

Heritage does not stand out in society until it becomes threatened or extinct when a persons intrinsic value can then be seen. More should have been done to help keep Cadburys British.
The Trust needs to ensure that the area remains a green site and developers dont damage it anymore than the takeover. The morals behind the company must be upheld and ensured for the future, we can not let all of the Cadburys trust disapear.

Heritage in danger

UNESCO have a world heritage in danger list. It is very important that people are aware of this, our heritage needs to be preserved not destroyed. The heritage we are trying so hard to protect can be destroyed in a variety of ways. Politics have a huge play on the role of heritage nationally, and internationally and we need to make sure that there is an overall agreement between the parties and countries. As UNESCO are the overall protectors for these world heritage sites, I believe they need to be doing more to protect them and force the countries they are located in to take more consideration for them.

UNESCO should not let any sites become dangered, they should intervene with the countries government and take control, as the government will have signed treaties for the site to be designated, so they must abide with the terms and conditions on it. I f they do not then UNESCO should take control, rather than waiting around and letting the site be put on the world heritage in danger list!

Other reasons a site may be put on the heritage in danger list may be due to econmical issues. If a country can not pay for the conservation of a site it must fall internationally, so the site does not become destroyed. Socially a site may suffer if people can not gain access to it or if there is no interpretation available or interaction at the site, people will begin to loose the identity they will associate with this site so it can become damaged, it is important for UNESCO not to allow this to happen!

As the gap is widening between the western and the third world, there is becoming an obvious difference with the use of technology. Technology can develop or diminish a site, and technology is ever changing, so it is important that all sites remain up to date, this is also very costly. UNESCO are trying to develop a global strategy, to make sure that the world heritage listed sites are more geographically dispersed, but if there is such an obvious gap between the countries in the world then the heritage at the sites is bound to be in danger, before they even get listed.

The environment is now concerning many. The environment is impacting on heritage at an uncontrolled rate, worldwide. It is a global issue with floods, fires, climate change. Heritage can not change with the environment, it reacts to it and becomes damaged or destroyed.

The heritage found globally, whether it is lited by UNESCO or not needs to be protected before it becomes in danger, it is too late once it is known to be in danger.

Unesco

So UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organisation) are the organisation that seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This is embodied in an international treaty called the convention concerning the protection of the world cultural and natural heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972.

UNESCO lists sites that are considered to be of outstanding universal value to humanity on the world heritage list. The site must meet one of the ten criteria, chosen by UNESCO. The list currently has 890 sites, with 89 cultural , 176 natural and 25 mixed in 140 countries.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list