C O N T E X T 1 0 1 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 7 17 keith parsons Valuing our heritage The annual school was based on the premise that heritage is what people value and wish to pass on to future generations. Keith Parsons summarises its context and content. What makes something part of our heritage is not whether it is a building or landscape, but the value that we place on it. The concept of public value is the equivalent of shareholder value in the private sector, but it is expressed through the democratic realm, rather than the market place.These ideas were debated in Capturing the PublicValue of Heritage, a conference held in January 2006, jointly organised by Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the National Trust. Capturing Public Value identified three types of public values: intrinsic, instrumental and institutional. The intrinsic values of heritage relate to the values that we put on something that mean we want to keep it – possibly after it has served its useful purpose. These values may be aesthetic, social, scientific or historical. Intrinsic values relate to stewardship, because they are about wanting to pass something on. The intrinsic values people identify may be different from instrumental values. Instrumental values relate to the benefits that people gain from a heritage activity. Instrumental benefits can range from individual benefits, such as improved confidence or skill development, to community, regional or even nationwide benefits, such as economic benefits, a sense of identity, or cohesion. Institutional values relate to how organisations behave, and the need to generate trust and legitimacy. This is crucial when the role of an institution revolves around looking after something, like heritage, on behalf of the public. This fundamental premise that heritage has a public value is what justifies the legislation, the funding and the practice of conservation. The annual school was not specifically intended to be a follow-up to Capturing the PublicValue of Heritage, but there were some similarities in its themes. Other commentaries on the value of heritage categorise values under three headings: cultural, economic and environmental. Cultural values include the intrinsic values listed above. These are the values of an aesthetic, social, scientific or historical nature. Some versions include socio-cultural values such as identity and cohesion, and even political values such as national identity and aspects of citizenship. Economic values include such activities as regeneration and heritage tourism. Environmental values include embodied energy, local distinctiveness, sense of place, civic pride and quality of life. As individuals we each subscribe to slightly different taxonomies of heritage values. But one thing we would all agree on is that the theme of ‘valuing our heritage’ would embrace a wide range of topics and discussions. The annual school looked at how citizens and communities could become more engaged in caring for the historic environment, and how the value of heritage could thus be enhanced. It was called ‘Valuing our Heritage’ and it was subtitled ‘Building capacity for communities and the economy’. Appropriately, the annual school was based in Liverpool, which will be European Capital of Culture in 2008.This year is the 800th anniversary of the city’s Royal Charter. Much of the waterfront and the city is experiencing tremendous change, re-establishing itself as one of the world’s great maritime cities. In his 1967 publication Britain’s Changing Towns, the architectural critic Ian Nairn wrote: ‘The scale and resilience of the buildings and people of Liverpool is amazing – it is a world city…The city is tremendous’. In 2004, Liverpool’s historic environment received the ultimate heritage accolade when Liverpool – Maritime Mercantile City was inscribed on to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The school was based in several of the city’s most important and impressive historic buildings. On Thursday evening a welcome reception was held in the Port of Liverpool Building, one of the three great Edwardian waterfront commercial buildings at the Pier Head. The Friday school took place at St George’s Hall, recently refurbished to its magnificent best. This building, above all others, epitomises the economic wealth and cultural standing of the city in the 19th century. At the Friday day school, chaired by John Yates, the welcome address was given by Councillor Warren Bradley, leader of Liverpool City Council. He welcomed the delegates to Liverpool and set the scene. He stressed the city council’s commitment to heritage, and indicated how its different values could be used for the benefit of the local economy and the community. He also emphasised that heritage was a source of both pleasure and pride. IHBC Annual School 2007 IHBC Annual School 2007 IHBC Annual School 2007
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