Approaching A Manifesto

This annual report, Heritage and Society, produced by Historic England, is one of the best statements I’ve seen of why preservation matters. A clear statement of the purpose of preservation is arguably more necessary in the U.S. than in the U.K. because we’re at a strange moment, culturally. People like “history” and “historic places” without necessarily knowing much about either of those concepts. New suburban developments are made to look like older buildings while actual old buildings are altered within an inch of demolition. In this context, reading Heritage and Society 2018 is a refreshing reminder of what those of us in the field are talking about.

The seven topics that make up the report are each true anywhere and are worth repeating:

• [The] historic environment is enjoyed by millions
• Members of the public deeply value the historic environment
• The historic environment is important for our health and wellbeing
• The historic environment creates a strong sense of place
• The historic environment influences how we perceive places
• The historic environment brings people together
• The historic environment inspires learning and understanding

One way to tie all of those together is the idea that our physical context – our personal environment – matters to us. There is no one who is unaffected by their environment, regardless of what they know about its history, so there is no one who is unaffected by saving the historic parts of that environment.