6 CONTEXT 184 : JUNE 2025 In some concluding observations about the exhaustive nature of the survey practice between 1982 and 1989 that would inevitably lead to a substantial rise in the number of entries, the author emphasises the most crucial thing being the ‘special’ element, going right back to the 1947 Act and the risk that mediocre, unimportant or excessively common buildings would be included in the list, thus reducing the specialness of the assets that had been protected. This would seem to have significant implications for the impetus behind the identification of nondesignated heritage assets, and their status as material considerations only in the planning process. Of the other eight substantial papers in this issue, of particular note is one by Jonathan Djabarouti of the Manchester School of Architecture about intangible cultural heritage and UK built heritage practice. Djabarouti examines opportunities and future directions in the light of the UK’s ratification of the convention in March 2024. He investigates how this commitment could shape built heritage practice in the UK, and whether a more integrated relationship between tangible and intangible qualities of heritage could be developed. After giving a broad introductory overview, the article concentrates on Historic England guidance and initiatives to demonstrate how shifts in policy and practice could materialise in response to the convention. Djabarouti proposes three opportunity areas that might emerge: first, the evolving understandings of heritage, community and participation; second, recognising the mutual influence of the intangible cultural heritage and physical heritage; and third, the need to strengthen placebased cultural practices. Also of significant interest, as we wrestle with the issues around the implementation of net zero, is a paper from Sweden by Stina Hagelqvist, Mattias Legnér and Paula Femenias looking at energy efficiency and sociocultural values in public policy in the City of Stockholm. Although the city promotes itself as being worldleading in the climate transition, the authors argue that the city fails to take a holistic approach to sustainability and does not provide sufficient guidance on how energy efficiency and cultural values can be reconciled. They present two case studies of renovations that serve to demonstrate how policies have translated into practice, and how claims of energy efficiency and cultural values are assessed. They find that there is clear asymmetry between the steering of policy related to energy efficiency and cultural value respectively. A major issue they see is that there is no clear guidance on how to deal with old buildings. This is especially a problem when people need to make these buildings more energyefficient and do not know what is allowed. This paper will be particularly informative to those in the UK wrestling with similar dilemmas concerning policy and practice regarding everyday heritage assets. Journal of Historic Buildings and Places A substantial publication that would definitely justify readers’ membership of Historic Buildings and Places is its annual Journal of Historic Buildings and Places (Vol 4, 2025), which runs to 200 pages. The issue contains six substantial papers, reflecting the society’s aims and objectives of studying and conserving heritage assets of all periods and styles. The first paper is by John Darlington, director of projects for the World Monument Fund, where he leads UK-based initiatives. Entitled ‘Fake Heritage or Faithful Homage: why we reconstruct the past’, it was the annual lecture given to the society in 2023. The author has some particularly wellchosen examples in asking why the issue of fake or copied heritage is relevant today, and why we should care (or not). He argues that the past is important as it colours the places we live in and visit, contributes to character and local distinctiveness, and helps establish our place in the world. Darlington argues that, crucially, history gives us the power of memory, without which we have no recall and therefore risk reinventing the wheel, repeating mistakes or making rootless decisions. He uses some excellent examples to illustrate the issues, such as from China, where European heritage is often replicated (he includes an illustration of a housing estate in Hangzhou, modelled on Haussmann’s Paris, with a miserable shrunken version of the Eiffel Tower); from Saddam Hussein’s reconstruction of Babylon; and the replication of medieval townscapes in Germany following the severe damage of second world war. Depending on how you see it – a collection of lies and imitations, or a tribute to the past – the main points are: think about the goals and energy of those who shared their stories. But also, be wary of the origins of nationalism, and question those who do not pay attention to evidence and science. He writes that curiosity is often the best defence for understanding the motivation behind these monuments. This is a fascinating discussion in relation to the pressures that arise from time to time in heritage management to hbap.org.uk ISSN 2753-2453 ISBN 978-0-946996-40-7 JOURNAL OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS & PLACES 2025 VOLUME 04 JOURNAL OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS & PLACES hbap.org.uk 2025 VOLUME 04 COVER J#04.indd 1-3 14/03/2025 11:58:04
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