IHBC Yearbook 2022

R E V I E W A N D A N A L Y S I S 21 ON THE EDGE JAMES GRUNDY A S THE new chair of the recently established All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Conservation, Places and People, I am delighted to introduce the themed articles of this edition of the IHBC Yearbook . The topics tie into the theme of June’s IHBC annual school in Aberdeen, which is ‘Heritage on the Edge’. The venue is appropriate. As a major port on the east side of Scotland, Aberdeen will always be associated with the North Sea oil rigs and fishing fleets it served, as much as with its Aberdeenshire hinterland where illicit whisky stills once flourished. Geographically and spiritually, it is a city on the edge. As the proud MP for the constituency of Leigh in the north- west of England, I see at first-hand how heritage is often on the edge of disappearing for good. An example is the high street in the town of Leigh itself. Some of it is in relatively good condition but other parts clearly need love and attention. Like many other towns in the north’s so called ‘red wall’, Leigh has a rich heritage dating back to the Industrial Revolution when the then mining town was a key part of the ‘workshop of the world’. This legacy includes the Lancashire Mining Museum, which boasts Europe’s largest surviving steam engine and the last standing pit head in the historic county. The constituency’s other historic environment showpieces include the Heritage Action Zone, which covers the main street of the town of Tyldesley, and Leigh’s Victorian Town Hall. It’s so sad we have lost some historic buildings but important that we preserve the ones we still have and ensure they are there for further generations to enjoy because I’m not sure we will ever be able to build buildings of such quality and grandeur again. How to harness some of the clear passion many people feel about the heritage of their local areas is one of the key objectives of the APPG, which was set up with the support of the IHBC just over a year and a half ago. The APPG’s first major piece of work is now concluding, its inaugural inquiry, which focuses on the ‘Value of Heritage’. With input from experts, the APPG has explored the economic, environmental and social benefits of heritage. We have also probed what is holding back efforts to regenerate historic communities and how heritage can dovetail with the UK government’s broader agenda of levelling up so called ‘left behind’ communities. These challenges are particularly pressing for high streets, which have been on the edge for decades owing to changes in shopping habits and consequent under investment. The decline of many historic high streets and town centres has been exacerbated by the pandemic. As the historic hearts of their communities though, these same high streets and town centres often contain rich legacies of heritage. To reverse the decline of high streets and help these historic places to adapt and consolidate, a radical overhaul is often needed. Heritage should be integral to these regeneration efforts. The inquiry has heard how restoring and finding new uses for treasured local landmarks can help to bolster a distinct sense of place, which many have grown to value even more during recent lockdowns. An example is Leeds’ Edwardian Bramley Baths, which after being threatened with closure is once again a hub for local health and well-being for its inner-city community. Finding fresh uses for old buildings like this can help to modernise and adapt our historic places for the needs of the 21st century and the new patterns of work and recreation, which have emerged in the wake of the pandemic. The inquiry has also focused on climate change, which features highly in this edition of the IHBC Yearbook , with one article on the achievements of COP26 and another that considers the importance of historic buildings from the perspective of embodied energy. Aberdeen faces acute economic challenges in coming years as the oil and gas extraction, which has sustained the city’s economy for the last half century, declines and is superseded by new sources of renewable energy in the North Sea. Other towns and cities in regions like my own native north-west have wrestled with similar economic transformations. As we continue work on the APPG’s exciting programme, I greatly look forward to working with you to help ensure the historic environment is seen as part of the solution to these profound challenges. James Grundy MP is the chair of the Conservation, Places and People APPG. The iconic pit head machinery of the former Astley Green Colliery, now The Lancashire Mining Museum, is the last of its kind in the county and on the Heritage at Risk register. (Photo: Shaun Brierley)