What Will the UK’s Ratification of Unesco’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Mean for the City and County of Durham?
Professor Robin Coningham, UNESCO’s 2014 Chair on Archaeological Ethics and Practice in Cultural Heritage, Department of Archaeology, University of Durham
City of Durham Trust AGM and Lecture Thursday 6th June 2024 AGM 7pm Lecture 8pm Elvet Riverside, Room ER140
Twenty-one years after its launch, the UK Government will ratify the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage on 7th June 2024, with the intention of protecting “the crafts, practices, and traditions which are recognised as being key part of national life and providing a sense of identity to communities across the UK” (gov.uk23/12/23).
While the results of the recent public consultation designed to inform UK’s approach to creating a new register for traditions valued by communities up and down the country are awaited, this presentation will discuss the 2003 Convention, and consider what it might mean for the city and county of Durham.
As well as holding UNESCO’s 2014 Chair on Archaeological Ethics and Practice in Cultural Heritage, Professor Robin Coningham is also the Chair of Early Medieval Archaeology and is Associate Director (World Heritage) in Durham’s Institute of Mediaeval and Early Modern Studies (IMEMS) and Co-Director of Durham’s MA International Cultural Heritage Management programme in the Department of Archaeology.
Further details about the AGM will be announced in an additional post.
Saturday 9th March, 2.00 pm in Elvet Riverside, ER140
Dr Anne Allen, Senior Manager Durham World Heritage Site
“Durham Castle and Cathedral World Heritage Site: a changing context”
2026 will mark the 40th anniversary of the inscription of Durham Castle and Cathedral on the UNESCO World Heritage List. A lot has changed since 1986. This was also the year that our speaker came up to Durham from Bishop Auckland to read archaeology. She describes her new role as Senior Manager of the World Heritage Site as her dream job. In this conversation Anne will explore the opportunities and challenges ahead and discuss the emerging priorities for the new management plan. Members are invited to submit questions in advance by emailing
Other related talk:
On Thursday 22 February Dr Allen will give a Twilight Talk at 5.30 – 6.30 in the Palace Green Library: “Durham Castle and Cathedral: new perspectives on the living World Heritage Site.”
Durham World Heritage Site was among the first to be inscribed by UNESCO in 1986. In this talk Anne Allen considers what has changed and how the new management plan celebrates the natural and intangible heritage as well as preserving and protecting the buildings and collections for the next generation.
Free and all welcome. Please book through Eventbrite or by calling Palace Green Library on 0191 334 2932.
You can also extend your visit by exploring the World Heritage Visitor Centre and the Museum of Archaeology, both open until 7pm during the Twilight Openings.
“Durham Castle and Cathedral, Nine Years a World Heritage Coordinator”
Held on Saturday 2nd December 2023, 2pm, n Elvet Riverside, New Elvet, room 140
The talk was given by Jane Gibson, former Coordinator of Durham’s World Heritage Site.
She writes: After 9 years as Coordinator for Durham Castle and Cathedral World Heritage Site I have had the privilege of working with so many knowledgeable colleagues, many of whom have given their time and expertise freely, on a wide range of topics and in widely varying circumstances. Coming to the position with a background in the heritage sector, I found the environment of development and planning on and around the WHS particularly stimulating(!), but also enjoyed the more familiar ground of community engagement in ensuring our WHS remains at the heart of so many communities in and around Durham City and much further afield. In a brief 45 minutes, I look forward to sharing some of these experiences with you.
On Monday 21st June UNESCO in Paris held a Zoom meeting on the topic of the Historic Urban Landscape initiative for World Heritage Sites in urban locations. A team from the Durham Castle and Cathedral World Heritage Site and the City of Durham Neighbourhood Plan Working Party were invited to speak. They presented a case study ‘Neighbourhood Plans: supporting a World Heritage Site‘.
Previously the City of Durham Parish Council submitted the Neighbourhood Plan to UNESCO as an example of management practices, events, and activities related to World Heritage and historic cities. The Neighbourhood Plan contains policies to protect and enhance the World Heritage Site and the heritage and green and blue assets within the setting surrounding the World Heritage Site. Theme 2(a): A beautiful and Historic City – Heritage Theme 2(b): A Beautiful and Historic City – Green Infrastructure
The Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) is an approach to the management of heritage resources by recognising the wider context in which they are placed. This includes the broader urban context and its geographical setting, the social and cultural context and the interconnections between all these tangible and intangible elements.
