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Jewellery Quarter to be World Heritage Site?

Thursday, July 15th, 2010
Argent Centre, courtesy of Keshvala

Argent Centre, courtesy of Keshvala

The list of applications for the UK’s new Tentative List of sites for World Heritage status has been published, and includes Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter on the list.

Click here for the full 38.

John Penrose, Tourism and Heritage Minister, said:

“We wanted a strong and varied list to eventually put to UNESCO and I’m delighted that so many wonderful, diverse places have been put forward. Any list that includes Jodrell Bank, the Forth Bridge, Blackpool and the Turks and Caicos Islands certainly doesn’t lack variety.  But what all 38 sites have in common is a wow factor and a cultural resonance that makes them real contenders to sit alongside The Pyramids and Red Square in this most distinguished of gatherings.”

Fingers crossed for Birmingham!

The full list is

  • Arbroath Abbey (Scotland)
  • The Birmingham Jewellery Quarter (England)
  • The Birth of the Railway Age serial nomination (England)
  • Blackpool (England)
  • The heroic period of civil and marine engineering in England 1822-1866, Bristol (England)
  • Bronte Landscape and Haworth Village (England)
  • Brunel’s Great Western Railway (England)
  • Buildings of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Glasgow (Scotland)
  • Chatham Dockyard and its Defences (England)
  • Chester Rows (England)
  • Colchester, Camulodunum and Colonia Victricensis (England)
  • Creswell Crags (England)
  • The Hill of Derry (Northern Ireland)
  • The Dover Strait (England)
  • The Flow Country (Scotland)
  • The Forth Bridge (Scotland)
  • The Fountain Cavern (Anguilla)
  • Gorham’s Cave (Gibraltar)
  • Gracehill Conservation area (Northern Ireland)
  • Jodrell Bank Observatory (England)
  • The Lake District (England)
  • The Laxey Valley (Isle of Man)
  • Historic Lincoln (England)
  • Malone and Stranmillis Historic Urban landscape (Northern Ireland)
  • Merthyr Tydfil (Wales)
  • Merton Priory (England)
  • Mousa, Old Scatness and Jarlshof: The Crucible of Iron Age Shetland (Scotland)
  • The Royal Sites of Ireland – Navan Fort (Northern Ireland)
  • The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads (England)
  • Slate Industry of North Wales (Wales)
  • Offa’s Dyke (England/Wales border)
  • St Andrews, Medieval Burgh and Links (Scotland)
  • Island of Saint Helena (Saint Helena Island, South Atlantic Ocean)
  • Turks and Caicos Islands (Caribbean)
  • Tynwald Hill and environs – Norse assembly sites of North West Europe (Isle of Man)
  • Former RAF Upper Heyford (England)
  • Wye Valley and Forest of Dean (England/Wales border)
  • City of York (England)

//

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Posted in Birmingham News, Feature on Front Page, Heritage News | No Comments »

Conservation and the Recession

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

Last Wednesday (July 7th), English Heritage published the  Heritage at Risk Register 2010, which suggested that the economic downturn may have caused a reduction in the number of Grade I and II* buildings rescued from decay. Many conservation projects may be affected, or even fail to start in the first place.

Unfortunately, Birmingham Conservation Trust has itself seen some of the results of the recession.

The problem doesn’t end with listed buildings. The Register includes conservation areas at risk, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, registered battlefields and protected wreck sites.

Chief Executive of English Heritage, Dr Simon Thurley, said: “Cuts in both private and public spending are currently inevitable, but armed with our Heritage at Risk Register English Heritage is well-equipped to guard against the loss of the nation’s greatest treasures and to suggest effective and economical strategies to protect our national heritage.”

To search the Register click here, view the press release here, click here for the national analysis report and click here for a summary of key statistics.  For the regional reports, click here.

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Lecture: Archaeology of New Library Site

Monday, July 5th, 2010

From The Stirrer:

Image courtesy of The Stirrer

Image courtesy of The Stirrer

Members of the public have a chance to delve into Birmingham’s industrial past this month when a series of  archaeological lectures reveal the findings of last year’s excavation works at the site of the new  Library of Birmingham in Centenary Square.

The lectures, delivered by William Mitchell and Chris Hewitson of Birmingham Archaeology, will take place at Library Theatre, adjacent to the current Birmingham’s Central Library, on Wednesday July 7th (12.30-1.30pm) and Saturday July 24th (1-2pm), and are set to reveal in detail the significance behind the discoveries made at the new site prior to the start of construction in January.

Both William and Chris were part of the archaeology team from the University of Birmingham which carried out the excavation work between July and December 2009.

The dig uncovered a plethora of intriguing links to history, including remains of Gibson’s and Baskerville Canal Arms, as well as remnants from Robert Winfield’s Cambridge Street Works, one of Birmingham’s premier brass manufacturers that flourished in the 19th century.

Tickets for the lectures are available free of charge from www.birminghamboxoffice.com, by calling 0121 303 2323, and from Central Library reception.

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Green Guide for Historic Buildings – environmental renovation

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

The Green Guide for Historic Buildings is a new book aiming to help those involved with historic buildings.

The green guide for historic buildings_ how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings_ Amazon.co.uk_ Prince_s Regeneration Trust_ Books-1How can we make successful environmental adaptations while remaining faithful to the historic character of the building? This book is a practical guide to help answer this question.

In his speech at the book launch, BBC History’s Dan Snow said: “The Prince’s Regeneration Trust and I share an absolute passion for the built historic environment. These buildings can compete in the modern world with any other kind of building in terms of energy efficiency and the Green Guide will tell you how.”

For more information, visit The Prince’s Regeneration Trust, or purchase the Green Guide for Historic Buildings online (if you use this link to buy anything on Amazon we get a 5% donation from Amazon – it won’t cost you any more).

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Discovering Places: Open Weekend

Monday, May 24th, 2010

Over the weekend of 23-25th July, The Heritage Alliance is running a project aiming to encourage people to discover their local environment: “hidden places, extraordinary spaces and the stories they have to tell.”

Building on the tradition of Open House in London, and on Heritage Open Days/Doors Open around the country to open up both the historic and the new, making hidden architectural treasures accessible, uncovering the buildings that express Britain’s diverse culture, and creating new audiences for heritage and architecture. via

Discovering Places will launch over Open Weekend, the Cultural Olympiad’s annual UK-wide celebration that marks the count down to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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Victorian Society: Endangered Buildings Appeal

Friday, May 21st, 2010

Can you think of any Victorian or Edwardian buildings in the Birmingham area which may be at risk?

The Victorian Society is about to launch its annual appeal to find the nation’s most endangered historic buildings. Endangered can mean there are plans to demolish, or years of neglect are causing the building to be in danger, or even a potentially damaging building in the nearby vicinity. The Victorian Society will use your nominations to understand the problems faced by our historic buildings. Ten buildings will be chosen for a ‘flurry of publicity’.

‘People expect us to be obsessed with the past, but the reality is we are obsessed with the future. We want to ensure that the best examples of Victorian and Edwardian architecture are still there for future generations to enjoy’, said Dr Ian Dungavell, Director of the Victorian Society. ‘To do this we need to know what is most at risk; so if you know of a vulnerable Victorian school building, or an empty pub, a disused swimming pool or a crumbling chapel, we want to hear about it.’

You can submit your nominations on the Victorian Society’s website, or email directly: Katie@victoriansociety.co.uk

A little extra information: Buildings don’t have to be listed to be nominated but they should be at risk, perhaps of demolition, from insensitive development or simply neglect. They need to have been built between 1837 and 1914.

Image from Victorian Society website

Image from Victorian Society website

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Project Brutal: Update

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

Following on from a previous post about Project Brutal: the project now has a discussion forum, where the people interested in documenting the Central Library can chat.

The forum can be found here.

Photo credit: Martin Hartland

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University of Birmingham Blue Plaque Trail

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

The University of Birmingham want to celebrate their influential achievements: scientific discoveries, artistic creations and significant inventions throughout the history of the university.

To do this, they are implementing a Blue Plaque Trail throughout campus to highlight special achievements of notable individuals, along with an associated map and leaflet containing more information. They say:

The University’s Blue Plaque scheme is a way of celebrating those who have helped to shape our heritage as a research university. The blue plaques will be markers which we hope may inspire all who pass by.

Nominate

Nominations for Blue Plaques are encouraged:

The only real criteria for nominating someone for a Blue Plaque are that their achievements have to have been especially significant, and they have to have happened here. We will consider historical and modern achievements from all disciplines.

How to nominate

To nominate a person to be considered for a plaque on campus, please send the name of the person, their profession or specialism, and their significant achievement to Clare Mullett, Deputy University Curator, at c.r.mullett@bham.ac.uk.  They did have a dealine of 31st March 2010 – but a good idea is a good idea!

For more information, visit the webpage.

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Heritage Open Days 2010: 9-12 September

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

Last year’s Heritage Open Days 2009 were an exciting event, with Birmingham Conservation Trust seeing a resulting flurry of activity in support of the Newman Brothers Coffin works.

In no time at all, it’s nearly Heritage Open Days 2010! The event will take place from Thursday 9th until Sunday 12th September 2010.

According to the Heritage Open Days website:

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.

They’re still looking for participants for the national programme, with a first deadline of May 1st and late entries accepted until August 1st. For more information, visit Heritage Open Days. Alternatively, contact the Heritage Open Days team at hods@english-heritage.org.uk or on 0844 335 884.

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Talking Cities: Lecture Two – Learning Cities

Monday, April 12th, 2010

made

Prof John Worthington, Building Futures

Thurs 15 April 6.30pm
Birmingham Conservatoire
CUDOS and MADE* are proud to present the second in a series of thought provoking lectures, by Prof John Worthington, Co-founder of DEGW, chair of CABE’s Building Futures, Deputy Chair for Regeneration Through Heritage and Visiting Professor at both University of Sheffield and Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, John Worthington has pioneered methods of adapting urban and space planning techniques to meet the needs of the emerging knowledge economy.

£10.00 per lecture
Book via:
info@made.org.uk
Organised by CUDOS and MADE.

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