DCMS Culture Secretary comments on HM Government position on contested heritage
|
| Blairquhan Castle in Scotland was built by David Hunter Blair - part owner of a sugar estate in Jamaica with links to slavery and colonialism. |
Introduction
On 22 September 2020, the Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden wrote to DCMS Arm’s Length Bodies to outline the Government’s position on contested heritage, noting that ‘the Government does not support the removal of statues or other similar objects’.
In the letter, the Government writes:
….the Government does not support the removal of statues or other similar objects. Historic England, as the Government’s adviser on the historic environment, have said that removing difficult and contentious parts of it risks harming our understanding of our collective past. Rather than erasing these objects, we should seek to contextualise or reinterpret them in a way that enables the public to learn about them in their entirety, however challenging this may be. Our aim should be to use them to educate people about all aspects of Britain’s complex past, both good and bad.
The full letter is available here.
Responses requested
The letter was sent to a number of national museums and galleries as well as other Arm’s Length Bodies and invited them to share what contested heritage means in the context of their organisation.
The full list of recipients is as follows: Arts Council England, British Film Institute, British Library, British Museum, Charity Commission, Churches Conservation trust, Historic England, Historic Royal Palaces, Horniman Museum, Imperial War Museum, Museum of the Home, National Archives, National Gallery, National Lottery Communities Fund, National Lottery Heritage Fund, National Museums Liverpool, National Portrait Gallery, Natural History Museum, Royal Armouries, Royal Museums Greenwich, Royal Parks, Science Museum Group, Sir John Soane’s Museum, Tate Gallery, V&A Museum and Wallace Collection.
This article originally appeared on the IHBC NewsBlog under the headline, 'Letter from DCMS Culture Secretary on HM Government position on contested heritage'. It was published on 6 October 2020.
--Institute of Historic Building Conservation
Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
IHBC NewsBlog
IHBC Marsh Awards 2022 launched - Submissions Close 31 March
A chance to nominate retired IHBC members and/or successful learners in heritage skills, with prizes that include £500 and a free place at the IHBC’s Aberdeen 2022 Annual School in June.
IHBC-SAHGB announce 2021 annual research award winner
Donald Insall Associates has been announced as the winner of the new joint award with the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain (SAHGB). The award celebrates the quality of architectural-historical research produced as private consultants or for public bodies etc.
IHBC at COP26 - Conserving our Places Conserves our Planet 1-12 Nov 2021
The IHBC seeks to raise awareness and understanding of how building conservation philosophy and practice contributes towards meeting the challenge of climate change.
IHBC's latest CONTEXT explores 'Conservation Leadership by the People'
From Amenity Societies and Wentworth Woodhouse to Kurt Schwitters, Scotland’s Towns, Chester and more...
Edinburgh’s Royal High School to become ‘£55M national centre for music’
The former Royal High School building in Edinburgh is to be transformed into a £55 million national centre for music after the City of Edinburgh Council agreed to the lease of the historic property.
IHBC, CIfA, IEMA launch Principles of Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment
The joint-institute document aims to help maintain cultural heritage by providing a consistent framework across different sectors & geographies
Enter Now to Win: IHBC's GASA Awards 2021
IHBC’s Gus Astley Student Awards 2021: Win £500 and a place on IHBC’s 2022 Aberdeen School with your built environment/heritage coursework, closes 31/07!
Former Harris meat factory mansion in Calne, Wilts, to be restored
The last remaining buildings on the site of the Harris meat factory family’s historic mansion are being restored to their former glory and converted into new homes.
CICV Forum introduces professional indemnity insurance guide
The Construction Industry Coronavirus Forum (CICV Forum) has unveiled a new guide to the crucial and increasingly complex issue of professional indemnity insurance (PII).
The World Heritage Committee(WHC): Liverpool should lose its World Heritage status.
ICOMOS has advised that the new football stadium proposal, if implemented, would have a completely unacceptable major adverse impact its authenticity and integrity.