They will meet local heritage organisations and local authority planning chiefs at the Historic England offices at ‘Brooklands,’ near the centre of the city.
Historic England (previously known as English Heritage) is the public body speaking up for England's historic environment, caring for everything from prehistoric remains such as Happisburgh, in Norfolk, with its oldest evidence of human occupation in the UK, to the radically designed post-war buildings such as Grade I listed Willis Faber building in Ipswich.
This year, Historic England is helping to save some of the most cherished ‘heritage at risk’ in the East of England by providing:
- A grant of £80,000 to create a database to map the rich archaeology of Ipswich with Suffolk County Council and Ipswich Borough Council. Once completed in 2016, the database will be publicly available on-line as part of the Suffolk Historic Environment Record
- Awarding a £125,000 grant towards the restoration of prominent buildings in the historic Cowgate area of Peterborough
Historic England’s planning and conservation team in the East of England, which provides national expertise locally delivered, is helping to safeguard the future of many historic buildings and sites across the region including:
- Providing expert advice to developers to help get the best out of the reuse of the historic buildings at the Cambridge Station Gateway project (CB1), including the newly converted, locally listed Fosters Mill building. When complete, the scheme will provide a more welcome arrival point for Cambridge
- Supporting the ‘Heritage Watch’ scheme launched by Essex Police this year. The scheme tackles unlawful metal detecting on farmland and protected archaeological sites which reduces heritage crime
Historic England also advises the Government on the ‘listing’ of buildings. Under an ambitious programme to list 2,500 war memorials during the First World War centenary period, several East of England memorials were given the special recognition of being listed. They include Hauxton War Memorial in Cambridgeshire and Sheringham and Beeston War Memorials in North Norfolk.
Historic England is also looking at the East of England’s public libraries, post-war public sculpture and even its pubs to see which of them are so special that they deserve listing.
To mark its launch, Historic England commissioned YouGov to survey people in England to discover more about how they value their heritage. Alongside this research, Historic England has revealed that almost everyone in England now lives within a mile of a designated heritage asset – a building, monument, archaeological site, battlefield, park or garden that is listed for protection.
The poll showed English people care deeply for their heritage. Nationally, just under two fifths (38%) have taken action to protect a local building or place from damaging change, or from becoming derelict or disused. In the East of England, this figure is 34%. The results suggest a higher-than-expected willingness among the public to protect heritage around them, so people have never felt more connected to these special places.
Duncan Wilson, Historic England Chief Executive said: “This is a new era for the East of England’s heritage, and Historic England is committed to working with local communities, owners and partners to ensure this heritage is valued and protected. East of England’s special historic buildings, as well as those that form the backdrop to everyday life, are the physical embodiment of the past, and the legacy that, together, we shall carry into the future.”
Image: Cambridge Station c1950s ©Historic England archive
For more information visit www.HistoricEngland.org.uk or follow @HE_EoE
Historic England
We are the public body that champions and protects England’s historic environment, from the prehistoric past to the post-War era. On 1 April we changed our name from English Heritage to Historic England, and created the English Heritage Trust, a new charity, which took over the care of the National Heritage Collection.
YouGov Poll
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size for survey 1 was 5,400 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 11th and 18th March 2015. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
Total sample size for survey 2 was 1,788 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 17th and 18th March 2015. The surveys were carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
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For further information or photographs, please contact Debbie Hickman at Historic England Press Office on 020 7973 3855 or email [email protected] or mobile: 07770 581 946