Heritage, ageing and wellbeing

Wellbeing benefits of the historic environment include helping older adults age-in-place, remaining in their homes and communities rather than transitioning into residential care.

English Heritage’s 15th-century Gainsborough Old Hall in Lincolnshire, saved from demolition in the 1940s by a friends’ group, is a symbol of local heritage, community and pride. (Photo: Tilman, Wikimedia).

The built environment plays a powerful role in wellbeing, and place-making strategies are increasingly developed to ensure that planners are aligning places with the needs and values of local residents. Within this, the historic environment plays a valuable role in boosting local pride, identity and wellbeing. Historic places are widely considered to be more attractive than newer buildings, to reflect a sense of longevity, and to promote the character and distinctiveness of local places. By embodying this sense of continuity and distinctiveness, historic places may appeal to community members and foster a sense of belonging and connection.

Over the last decade, a number of programmes have been developed to harness the restorative powers of engaging with the historic environment. These include the Ministry of Defence’s Operation Nightingale and the Restoration Trust’s Human Henge. Through promoting skills development, social connection and resilience, these projects leverage cultural heritage to create meaningful experiences for participants, and address health and wellbeing disparities.

The historic environment offers diverse individual and communal wellbeing benefits for older adults. It can help them age-in-place, remaining in their homes and communities rather than transitioning into residential care. Ageing-in-place depends on social infrastructure that can allow older adults to access civic and community support. Historic places make up a critical part of a place’s social infrastructure.

Many historic places, such as churches and libraries, function as third spaces: places where community members come together without financial barriers. Third spaces are crucial for community engagement and cohesion, providing safe and accessible places to maintain connections to society, in addition to mental and physical activeness. Museums have recognised their power to bring community members together through hosting community gatherings such as coffee mornings, craft activities and reminiscence sessions. Historic third spaces also bring together older and younger people to share knowledge and experiences, and improve bonding between generations. This helps older adults to remain valued members of society and dispels ageist stereotypes.

The historic environment also supports ageing-in-place through enabling older people to participate in voluntary work and lifelong learning. Volunteering can help older adults maintain meaningful roles in society and connections to the community, and they may gain new skills and knowledge.

This article originally appeared in the Institute of Historic Building Conservation’s (IHBC’s) Context 183, published in March 2025. It was written by Jessica Bowden, a PhD student with Heriot-Watt University.

--Institute of Historic Building Conservation