Contact:
  • Tony Crouch, Heritage & Environment Manager
  • Address:
    Planning Services, Trimbridge House, Trim Street, Bath BA1 2DP
  • E-mail:
    world_heritage@bathnes.gov.uk
  • Telephone:
    01225 477584
  • Fax:
    01225 477663
  • Minicom:
    01225 477535
  • Page Updated:
    23/07/2008
  • Author:
    Tony Crouch
A to Z Index

Your World Heritage - getting involved

The historic environment has an impact on everybody's lives. It provides the backdrop to our daily lives, especially in a district like Bath & North East Somerset where we have such a rich and diverse historic and natural environment. It also forms a large part of our community identity.

But the environment around us is also a unique and irreplaceable resource that we should both care for and benefit from. The World Heritage Site is a part of the wider environment of the district but has not yet been used much by the community to enrich their lives. We would like to see this change.

The World Heritage Site Management Plan provides the opportunity to help local people explore their World Heritage Site. It can be used for education in the classroom, for community projects to find out more about where you live, or to improve how a place looks and works.

Ideas for how to get involved

Here are a few examples of how the World Heritage Site status could be used by local people:

  • A local school is looking for ideas on teaching the citizenship section of the curriculum. World Heritage is a way to do this. It is about caring for our environment as a community. It is about responsibility being shared and about ensuring that the environment we enjoy can be passed on in good condition to future generations. World Heritage is also used to unite different cultures around the world, and to understand the different values that other societies have. It is a rich resource for teaching citizenship, and because Bath is a World Heritage Site, students can explore their own feelings of ownership and responsibility for the place where they live. There is also an education kit published by UNESCO that give ideas for how to use World Heritage in the classroom in many different subjects. Teachers wishing to look at the kit or talk about World Heritage and education should contact the Council's World Heritage Officer.

 

  • It is the anniversary of the construction of an important building in Larkhall and the local community wish to celebrate. Larkhall and the building are both part of the Bath World Heritage Site and so the local community could investigate how their building contributes to the World Heritage Site, and what other World Heritage Sites there are with similar buildings, or from a similar time. The community could produce a leaflet about the history of the building or design some interpretation panels, working with a local artist. Local schools could design an exhibition about other similar World Heritage Sites. Community leaders could get in touch with communities in other World Heritage Sites to learn about each other and celebrate together.

 

  • A local museum is renewing some of its interpretation panels. Including information on the World Heritage Site would add an extra dimension to their displays and give visitors a wider view of the museum's collections and the importance of the local area. The Management Plan gives information on why Bath is a World Heritage Site and the Council's World Heritage Officer may be able to advise on how to include World Heritage so its relates to the special interests of the museum.

A Special Opportunity

In 2007, Bath will have been a World Heritage Site for 20 years. It would be wonderful to celebrate this with events and projects across the district. If you have ideas for a special project for 2007, or would like to help organise the celebration, contact the Council's World Heritage Officer.

Why the World Heritage Site needs your support

Bath is a very special place that needs a lot of care and understanding. The more people who understand how special the city is and how it should be cared for, the better chance we have on being able to secure a long and sustainable future for the city.

The involvement of local groups, businesses, communities and individuals is essential in creating a greater understanding and enjoyment of this World Heritage Site. The Management Plan contains many different actions to meet its main objectives and there are many people who could help carry out those actions. There are many actions which could be turned into creative and exciting projects for the benefit and enjoyment of many different people.

The complete list of actions is in the Management Plan (section 4) and a few are listed below. If you want to help with any of these actions, or think that work you are already doing is helping, contact the Council's World Heritage Officer. We would love to hear from you.

  • Landscape, geology and industrial heritage are important parts of our World Heritage Site but are often overlooked. We would like to raise their profile and get more people thinking about them as being of World Heritage importance and improving their management. Projects that include local community activities would be particularly welcome.
  • Many historic buildings and sites would benefit from a conservation or management plan to improve their condition, use or access. Do you know of a building in need of improvement that you could help with?
  • There is much more about the World Heritage Site that we need to know in order to understand it fully. Research, whether it is done by local communities, students, or professionals, is very important. Are you researching part of the World Heritage Site or would you be interested in doing this?
  • There is a lot of interpretation about Bath but very little of it includes mention of the World Heritage Site status in detail. Perhaps you are a museum, special interest group or publisher that would like to include World Heritage in your material, or a local community that would like to produce a leaflet on your part of the World Heritage Site.
  • Continuing to teach people the traditional conservation skills needed to maintain and enhance our historic environment is essential for making sure the city stays in good condition and does not lose its authenticity. Do you run a course about conservation skills, either for students or local communities, or would you like to? If so, we would like to hear from you.

Remember, these are just a few of the actions from the Management Plan. Your perfect project might be waiting for you, so have a look at the document, look at the advice below or contact the Council's World Heritage Officer.

What to do next

If you have an idea for a project that involves World Heritage or you would like to include World Heritage in a project you're already arranging, follow the steps below to find out more.

  • Look at the Bath World Heritage Site Management Plan. This will give you information on why Bath is a World Heritage Site, what World Heritage is about, and what the issues are for the city as a World Heritage Site (these may give you some project ideas). You can read it on this website,  download it as PDF files, read a copy at main Council offices or at libraries across the district, or buy a copy from Planning Services. Contact the Council's World Heritage Officer if you need help finding a copy.
  • Visit the UNESCO and OWHC websites to find out more about World Heritage Sites around the world.
  • Contact the Council's World Heritage Officer to discuss your ideas. We may be able to advise you on developing your project further, or know of someone else who is doing a similar project or can help you.
  • Visit the websites of other UK World Heritage Sites. Lots of people across the country are getting involved in World Heritage now in many different and exciting ways. Find the websites on our UK Sites page.
  • If your project is a community one, visit the Local Heritage Initiative website. You can apply for a grant of up to £25000 for projects that involve local people investigating, caring for and celebrating their local heritage.