Heritage sector insights

Our heritage is made up of extraordinary buildings, treasures and people. These historic sites are an asset to the UK’s economy. They create employment, links to our past, a sense of pride and place for communities and impact positively on the wellbeing of individuals. However, preserving the historic environment for future generations to enjoy comes with a variety of challenges.

The organisations that look after these important assets are tasked with their protection and maintenance. Our research¹ shows the following top concerns felt by organisations in the sector:

• Threat of a major incident such as fire
• How to attract larger and more diverse audiences
• The cost of maintenance, safety and reputation.

With careful analysis and proactive risk management we can mitigate or limit those risks. Drawing on experts in the sector, case studies and over 135 years’ experience of protecting historic buildings, our Heritage white paper shares ways to manage some of these concerns. We consider what heritage means to us and how people can support the future of these extraordinary sites.

Our heritage white paper looks at the heritage sector in three parts:

• People, those who interact with heritage sites including the local community, decision makers, maintenance and restoration, visitors, staff and volunteers.
• Assets, how we can plan and prevent our buildings and contents against risk, how to respond and recover.
• Funding, the threats and opportunities.
  
  

From snatch lists to sleepovers, resources to rappers, business interruption to Brexit, we ask:

• Why is community engagement and support so important?
• How do we make the right decisions for the good of the site?
• How do we keep people safe, whilst at the same time protecting the site’s fabric and history?
• Can we prepare an efficient response in the face of a disaster?
• How can we futureproof a historic building and its contents?
• Can we do any of this in a cost effective and time efficient way?

¹ FWD Ecclesiastical Heritage survey 2018