Conference on the role of heritage in the regeneration and future of England’s seaside towns.
Seaside Heritage: Colourful Past, Bright Future will take place at St Mary in the Castle in Hastings on 16th and 17th October 2007.
Programme includes:
The English Seaside Resort: History, Heritage and Regeneration
John K.Walton, Professor of Social History, University of Central Lancashire
Tackling the Challenges Faced by Coastal Communities
Dr Phyllis Starkey, MP, Milton Keynes
Catching the Wave: Regeneration in Historic Coastal Towns
Deborah Lamb, Director of Policy and Communications, English Heritage
The Seaside Network: Sharing Experience and Learning from the Past
Derek Harding, BURA and Programme, Director for the Margate Renewal
programme
Turning the Tide: Enabling Sustainable Seaside Regeneration in the South East
Andy Brown, Regional Director South East, English Heritage
Coastal Defences: Protecting Seaside Heritage
Roger Bowdler, Head of Designation, English Heritage
Managing the Coastal Historic Environment through the 21st Century
Peter Murphy, Coastal Strategy Officer, English Heritage
The Challenge of the Seaside Pier: Past, Present and Future
Fred Gray, Dean of the Sussex Institute, University of Sussex
The Era of the “colonia di vacanza” in Italy: an Architectural and Social Study
Valther Balducci, Facoltà di Architettura ‘Aldo Rossi’ Università di Bologna
Coastal Treasures INTERREG Project
Elizabeth Justome, Chercheur associé au Service régional de l’Inventaire, Picardie, France
Reputation and Regeneration: History and Heritage in the Re-making of Blackpool
John Walton, Professor of Social History, University of Central Lancashire
Panel Discussion: Is Heritage an Aid or Hindrance to Regeneration?
For full programme and booking details contact Helen Charlton helen.charlton@sam-culture.com
Thursday, 10 May 2007
Tara controversy
Heated debates at present regarding the M3 motorway scheme at Tara, Ireland.
For a view opposing the road scheme - see SchNEWS www.schnews.org.uk
"The proposed M3 motorway has been described by archaeologists as the worst case of state-sponsored vandalism ever inflicted on Irish cultural heritage." - Roadblock.
The biggest anti-road direct action protest ever in Ireland may be about to happen at the Hill of Tara, north west of Dublin, if attempts to have the area protected on archaeological grounds, and other legal efforts fail. The entire area is a large archaeological complex containing at least 160 sites covering a timespan from 3600BC through to bronze and medieval ages. It was once the seat of the High Kings of Ireland and the country's political and spiritual capital until the 12th century. Yet it is imminently threatened, after a nine year battle to stop the development, by a motorway which would pass within one kilometre of its centre, and through the Tara Skryne Valley, scattered with hundreds of monuments whose relationship with the central complex is only just beginning to be understood. Like Stonehenge, the main edifice is surrounded by a large acreage of associated mounds, burial chambers and ancient building works.
The Irish govt have given the green light to the M3 motorway and are so determined to avoid the past problems of nuisance neolithic artefacts or human remains being dug up during earth works and threatening the developments, that new heritage laws have been enacted. Now under the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 2004, government ministers have sole discretion in deciding whether archaeological sites in Ireland are to be preserved or demolished - affecting Tara, and all future development sites.
Work started late last year, and since January a construction compound was set up and earth moving equipment brought in. On 4 January, protesters occupied digging equipment near Dunshaughlin to hold up work, as earth moving had begun - being passed off as 'excavations'. Last month a 1,300 year old underground building near Roestown was destroyed, just one of the major archaeological sites on the proposed route, containing beads, carved bones and an ancient gaming board. The destruction was rushed through by the National Roads Authority (NRA) to avoid an injunction being placed under the National Monuments Act which would have stopped work. The NRA claim that this sort of site was 'relatively common' in Ireland. Campaigners were refused permission to have an independent archaeologist inspect the site.
Mysteriously, a section of land at Lismullen is surrounded by fencing and 24 hour security - it is believed that something important may have been dug up which they don't want the public to find out about.
At the moment, with the affected land still largely intact, campaigners are trying to raise funds to pay for an independent archaeological team to go over the 38 known important sites along the route. Campaigners say that Irish archaeologists won't do it because they are all too deeply in the pockets of the NRA, and have an eye towards the future work they will get signing off other historic sites to oblivion. It is also claimed that government-lackey archaeologists are not digging at sufficient depth considering the layers of burial going back through the ages, and it is estimated that a proper excavation of the area concerned would take a decade. In June this year World Monuments Watch, an international body with enough clout to save many of the threatened sites at which they have intervened, will give a decision about whether to put Tara in their top 100 'most endangered sites' list, which would put further weight behind efforts to protect it. Tara is also being made a big issue in the forthcoming Irish general election this year, but campaigners told SchNEWS that this is amounting to the main political parties trying to gain pre-election kudos by appearing to oppose it. Whether any of them could be trusted once in power is another matter.
Since the Summer Solstice in 2006, there has been a permanent vigil, fire and camp at Tara, with regular events including the upcoming Beltane on 1 May, and a large gathering open to all celebrating the first anniversary on 21 June. The vigil is on the north side of the Hill of Tara, past Rath Grainne: just follow the ditch/road north from the parking area. Rope, tarpaulin and all usual camp tat is needed. For more see www.savetara.com.
In late December large trees were felled and earth moved on the northern slope of Skryne at Rath Lugh, and what began as daily demos has turned into an ongoing protest site there. When the direct action campaign kicks off, Skryne Valley will be the frontline - an area not only of archaeological importance but also featuring ancient woodland between Rath Lugh and Blundelstown. Mass destruction through the valley could be imminent; SchNEWS will give bulletins as and when people are needed to help protect it.
* For updates about the protest see http://tarawatch.org & www.savetara.com
* To read about the history of the Hill of Tara see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_of_Tara
It is perhaps worth noting that the position of the current road passing Stonehenge can hardly be laid at the door of poor planning, as it significantly predates all planning legislation!
For an alternative view: see
The NRA, The M3 and Archaeology. The Facts
http://www.nra.ie/Archaeology/DownloadableDocuments/file,1089,en.PDF
For a view opposing the road scheme - see SchNEWS www.schnews.org.uk
"The proposed M3 motorway has been described by archaeologists as the worst case of state-sponsored vandalism ever inflicted on Irish cultural heritage." - Roadblock.
The biggest anti-road direct action protest ever in Ireland may be about to happen at the Hill of Tara, north west of Dublin, if attempts to have the area protected on archaeological grounds, and other legal efforts fail. The entire area is a large archaeological complex containing at least 160 sites covering a timespan from 3600BC through to bronze and medieval ages. It was once the seat of the High Kings of Ireland and the country's political and spiritual capital until the 12th century. Yet it is imminently threatened, after a nine year battle to stop the development, by a motorway which would pass within one kilometre of its centre, and through the Tara Skryne Valley, scattered with hundreds of monuments whose relationship with the central complex is only just beginning to be understood. Like Stonehenge, the main edifice is surrounded by a large acreage of associated mounds, burial chambers and ancient building works.
The Irish govt have given the green light to the M3 motorway and are so determined to avoid the past problems of nuisance neolithic artefacts or human remains being dug up during earth works and threatening the developments, that new heritage laws have been enacted. Now under the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 2004, government ministers have sole discretion in deciding whether archaeological sites in Ireland are to be preserved or demolished - affecting Tara, and all future development sites.
Work started late last year, and since January a construction compound was set up and earth moving equipment brought in. On 4 January, protesters occupied digging equipment near Dunshaughlin to hold up work, as earth moving had begun - being passed off as 'excavations'. Last month a 1,300 year old underground building near Roestown was destroyed, just one of the major archaeological sites on the proposed route, containing beads, carved bones and an ancient gaming board. The destruction was rushed through by the National Roads Authority (NRA) to avoid an injunction being placed under the National Monuments Act which would have stopped work. The NRA claim that this sort of site was 'relatively common' in Ireland. Campaigners were refused permission to have an independent archaeologist inspect the site.
Mysteriously, a section of land at Lismullen is surrounded by fencing and 24 hour security - it is believed that something important may have been dug up which they don't want the public to find out about.
At the moment, with the affected land still largely intact, campaigners are trying to raise funds to pay for an independent archaeological team to go over the 38 known important sites along the route. Campaigners say that Irish archaeologists won't do it because they are all too deeply in the pockets of the NRA, and have an eye towards the future work they will get signing off other historic sites to oblivion. It is also claimed that government-lackey archaeologists are not digging at sufficient depth considering the layers of burial going back through the ages, and it is estimated that a proper excavation of the area concerned would take a decade. In June this year World Monuments Watch, an international body with enough clout to save many of the threatened sites at which they have intervened, will give a decision about whether to put Tara in their top 100 'most endangered sites' list, which would put further weight behind efforts to protect it. Tara is also being made a big issue in the forthcoming Irish general election this year, but campaigners told SchNEWS that this is amounting to the main political parties trying to gain pre-election kudos by appearing to oppose it. Whether any of them could be trusted once in power is another matter.
Since the Summer Solstice in 2006, there has been a permanent vigil, fire and camp at Tara, with regular events including the upcoming Beltane on 1 May, and a large gathering open to all celebrating the first anniversary on 21 June. The vigil is on the north side of the Hill of Tara, past Rath Grainne: just follow the ditch/road north from the parking area. Rope, tarpaulin and all usual camp tat is needed. For more see www.savetara.com.
In late December large trees were felled and earth moved on the northern slope of Skryne at Rath Lugh, and what began as daily demos has turned into an ongoing protest site there. When the direct action campaign kicks off, Skryne Valley will be the frontline - an area not only of archaeological importance but also featuring ancient woodland between Rath Lugh and Blundelstown. Mass destruction through the valley could be imminent; SchNEWS will give bulletins as and when people are needed to help protect it.
* For updates about the protest see http://tarawatch.org & www.savetara.com
* To read about the history of the Hill of Tara see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_of_Tara
It is perhaps worth noting that the position of the current road passing Stonehenge can hardly be laid at the door of poor planning, as it significantly predates all planning legislation!
For an alternative view: see
The NRA, The M3 and Archaeology. The Facts
http://www.nra.ie/Archaeology/DownloadableDocuments/file,1089,en.PDF
Heritage Impact 2007
Another expensive conference!
Heritage Impact 2007 is the third International Symposium on the study of the socio-economic impact of cultural heritage.
The Symposium and professional meeting will take place on 21-22 June, 2007 at the Royal Pavilion Palace, Brighton, UK. The theme will be the issue of assessing the socio-economic impact of cultural heritage with specific reference to the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) at heritage sites.
Their blurb states:
What role can ICT play in enhancing the impact of cultural heritage sites?
How can impact be improved through strategic evaluation, marketing and business practices?
How can ICT be used to obtain strategic impact data and information at heritage sites?
What methodologies can be used to analyse impact and value at cultural heritage sites?
Examples and in depth case studies will be examined to show how heritage and ICT can be used to increase positive impact and outcomes.
Heritage site practitioners who are delegates at the Symposium will have the opportunity to attend an additional FREE 2 hour impact training workshop prior to the event."
Contacts:
Heritage Impact 2007 is the third International Symposium on the study of the socio-economic impact of cultural heritage.
The Symposium and professional meeting will take place on 21-22 June, 2007 at the Royal Pavilion Palace, Brighton, UK. The theme will be the issue of assessing the socio-economic impact of cultural heritage with specific reference to the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) at heritage sites.
Their blurb states:
"The use of information and communication technology at museums and heritage sites is increasing. Yet heritage organisations are often poorly placed to fully take advantage of the opportunities that ICT can provide or assess the impact that ICT can have on their organisation. For three years, the European Commission’s EPOCH Network of Excellence has studied the impact of ICT in heritage organisations. Using the results of this Europe-wide research in conjunction with practical case studies, this Symposium will provide practitioners with an overview of the business processes associated with successful ICT deployment, and of the impacts and outcomes of ICT and of the wider impacts of heritage sites. The Symposium provides an opportunity for practitioners, policy makers and academics in the heritage field to share the latest thinking on research direction and to consider strategies for both evaluating and improving socio-economic impact in the cultural heritage sector. As always, the Heritage Impact Symposia series aims to produce firmly practical outcomes that will support practitioners in the cultural heritage sector.
The core themes will include:
The core themes will include:
What role can ICT play in enhancing the impact of cultural heritage sites?
How can impact be improved through strategic evaluation, marketing and business practices?
How can ICT be used to obtain strategic impact data and information at heritage sites?
What methodologies can be used to analyse impact and value at cultural heritage sites?
Examples and in depth case studies will be examined to show how heritage and ICT can be used to increase positive impact and outcomes.
Heritage site practitioners who are delegates at the Symposium will have the opportunity to attend an additional FREE 2 hour impact training workshop prior to the event."
Contacts:
Email: EPOCH@brighton.ac.uk or phone on: + 44 (0)1273 642468.
Journal of Cultural Economy
New Journal of Cultural Economy - see http://www.cresc.ac.uk/publications/cultural-economy.html with call for papers.
Might be interesting?
Might be interesting?
Gaza at the Crossroads of Civilisations
Interesting BBC article, prompted by the Gaza at the Crossroads of Civilisations exbition in Geneva. touches upon how the Palestinian Authority is trying to fight looting because it undermines ideas of nationalism by stealing/destroying national symbols, but how poverty has led to a booming trade in looted artifacts, & lack of resources to prevent/control it.
Iraq ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6600235.stm
Iraq ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6600235.stm
International Cultural Heritage Informatics Meetings
CHIM07 - International Cultural Heritage Informatics Meetings; Toronto; October 24-26.
http://www.archimuse.com/ichim07/
http://www.archimuse.com/ichim07/
Red List of Afghanistan Antiquities at Risk Released
In March, the ICOM Red List of Afghanistan Antiquities at Risk was published. The Red List is a tool in the ongoing fight against looting and illicit trafficking of Afghanistan's archeological heritage. By outlining the cultural artifacts that are most at risk, the list aims to aid customs officials, police officers, and art dealers in identifying these objects and promoting public awareness of this serious problem.
It is the fourth in a series of ICOM Red List publications.
See http://icom.museum/redlist/index.html
It is the fourth in a series of ICOM Red List publications.
See http://icom.museum/redlist/index.html
Sand Creek Massacre Site National Park
On April 28, Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site was made the most recent National Park in the USA. It is the site of the massacre of nearly 160 Cheyenne and Arapaho on November 29, 1864. At dawn that day, a force of some 700 volunteers in a Colorado regiment attacked a peaceful village of Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians camped along Sand Creek in southeastern Colorado Territory. The Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, situated on over 12,000 acres in southeast Colorado, "recognizes the significance of the massacre in American history and its ongoing significance to the Northern and Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes."
See http://www.nps.gov/sand/index.htm
See http://www.nps.gov/sand/index.htm
Valuing the Historic Environment
'Valuing the Historic Environment' is a new, cross disciplinary research cluster for the discussion of frameworks of value in relation to the preservation of historic environments. The cluster is meeting at three one day colloquia to take place between January and July 2007 and on an online discussion board, available from http://www.le.ac.uk/ms/contactus/valhistenvir.html.
Detailed notes documenting the discussion at each colloquium are also be available from the cluster www. The aim is for the activities of this cluster to lead to further research connections, collaborations, opportunities and outputs, with the potential to influence academic debate and policy formulation.
The third colloquium associated with this cluster takes place on the 6th July 2007. The main focus of the colloquium is 'Museumisation and Historic Environments'.
There are a limited number of places available, there is no cost to attend but we are not normally able to pay expenses. Expressions of interest in attending should briefly describe how the persons experience will enable them to make a significant contribution to debate in the colloquia. Expressions of interest should be sent to Anna Woodham at alw20@leicester.ac.uk.
The closing date for expressions of interest in attendance for Colloquium 3 is 15/06/07.
Colloquia details are as follows: 'Museums, Museumisation and Historic Environments' - 6th July 2007
Keynote: David Lowenthal, Professor Emeritus, Department of Geography, University College London, 'Patrons, Populists, Apologists: crises in heritage stewardship and display'.
Other Speakers: Liz Stewart, National Museums Liverpool, 'Building Understanding: National Museums Liverpool and Liverpool's Historic Environment'.
Dr. Lisanne Gibson, Department of Museum Studies, University of Leicester, title to be announced.
Others to be announced.
Location: University of Leicester
You can find further details about the research cluster at http://www.le.ac.uk/ms/contactus/valhistenvir.html
Detailed notes documenting the discussion at each colloquium are also be available from the cluster www. The aim is for the activities of this cluster to lead to further research connections, collaborations, opportunities and outputs, with the potential to influence academic debate and policy formulation.
The third colloquium associated with this cluster takes place on the 6th July 2007. The main focus of the colloquium is 'Museumisation and Historic Environments'.
There are a limited number of places available, there is no cost to attend but we are not normally able to pay expenses. Expressions of interest in attending should briefly describe how the persons experience will enable them to make a significant contribution to debate in the colloquia. Expressions of interest should be sent to Anna Woodham at alw20@leicester.ac.uk.
The closing date for expressions of interest in attendance for Colloquium 3 is 15/06/07.
Colloquia details are as follows: 'Museums, Museumisation and Historic Environments' - 6th July 2007
Keynote: David Lowenthal, Professor Emeritus, Department of Geography, University College London, 'Patrons, Populists, Apologists: crises in heritage stewardship and display'.
Other Speakers: Liz Stewart, National Museums Liverpool, 'Building Understanding: National Museums Liverpool and Liverpool's Historic Environment'.
Dr. Lisanne Gibson, Department of Museum Studies, University of Leicester, title to be announced.
Others to be announced.
Location: University of Leicester
You can find further details about the research cluster at http://www.le.ac.uk/ms/contactus/valhistenvir.html
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