Clarke, Richard (1996) Heritage in trust: sustainable stewardship in transition? International Journal of Heritage Studies 2 (3), pp. 145-159. ISSN 1352-7258.
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Abstract
Founded in 1895 as a society for the preservation of natural beauty and historic interest, the National Trust starts its second century as Britain's largest private landowner. Its portfolio of property - natural and built, rural and urban, ancient and modern - is unique in its variety and quality. With its membership of over 2 million the Trust is also the world's largest voluntary conservation organisation. Frequently identified with 'establishment' values (though on occasion seen as subversive of them) the Trust has as often been a focus of critique as of celebration. This paper examines the Trust's changing relation to contested values of heritage as manifest in its acquisitions and management policies, in its engagement with environmental and social issues and an emerging politicisation which transcends a narrow, purely property- based interpretation of its statutory purpose. Recent acquisitions challenge conventional perceptions of 'natural beauty' and 'historic interest'. Organisational greening has precipitated a review of the implications of stewardship 'in perpetuity'. Recognition of the needs of local communities and awareness of equal opportunities issues have prompted a reinterpretation of its founders' concerns with access and enjoyment 'for the nation'. The outcome is an inchoate shift in the emphasis in heritage management from the preservation of the status quo, to the management of change, not merely within the context of its own heritage portfolio but also of the environmental and social context within which it is managed and presented.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Keyword(s) / Subject(s): | National Trust, Heritage, Management, Values, sustainability |
| School: | Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences |
| Depositing User: | Richard Clarke |
| Date Deposited: | 15 Apr 2014 11:00 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Aug 2023 17:10 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/9587 |
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