Working with Heritage Buildings

About this course.

Heritage, in the built environment, refers to places that are valued by the community because of their cultural significance — the historical, aesthetic, scientific, social or spiritual value they hold for past, present and future generations. Heritage protection exists to conserve that significance so it is not lost through demolition, neglect or unsympathetic change. Crucially, heritage is about significance rather than age alone: a place is protected not simply because it is old, but because it holds values worth keeping, whether those come from its history, its design and craftsmanship, its scientific or research interest, or its meaning to a community. Understanding what makes a particular place significant is the starting point for all heritage work, because significance is what the law and good practice set out to protect.

The idea of cultural significance is central and worth unpacking. A place may be significant for its history — because important events happened there, because it illustrates a way of life or a phase of development, or because it is associated with a notable person or group. It may be significant for its aesthetic qualities — its design, form, craftsmanship, materials or its contribution to a streetscape or landscape. It may have scientific or research value, for what it can reveal about past construction, technology or ways of living. And it may have social or spiritual significance — a strong meaning for a community or cultural group, as a place of gathering, identity, memory or belief. A single place often holds several of these values at once, and different values may matter to different people. Recognising the full range of possible significance is important, because a place can be valuable for reasons that are not obvious from its appearance.