CONSERVATION AND THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT

Conservation And The Historic Environment



Conservation And The Historic Environment

Introduction

The role of commercial and naval port evolution in the growth of coastal zone cultural heritage is outlined and problems of heritage sustainability are identified. It is proposed that these problems may be related not only to the issue of heritage conservation but also to the difficulties of identifying appropriate new uses that will secure the long-term economic viability of the port system's patrimony. The conservation issue is explored through a case study of cultural heritage loss in the UK's South Wales coal ports. Issues relating to economic sustainability are examined with respect to a defunct, yet architecturally outstanding, naval facility, the Royal William Yard, Plymouth, UK. It is argued that both problems can be better understood with reference to clusters of interacting and controlling 'environments' within which the cultural heritage is set. It is concluded that coastal zone management must recognise the challenges posed by such 'environments' if effective strategies to secure the future of port-based cultural heritage are to be devised. It is also suggested that the scale and complexity of the challenges are such that there is a leadership role in this sphere for international organisations such as the European Union(Imeson and I, 2002,, 95).

Discussion

Seaports, Heritage And Sustainability

Seaport development has contributed immensely to the cultural heritage of coastal zones throughout the world . The need for port activity has been a powerful force driving the growth of coastal towns and cities of all sizes. Through the long-term expansion of docks and other harbour facilities, these upwardly mobile centres have accumulated distinctive infrastructures which clearly distinguish swathes of their historic cores from those of mainstream urban places ( Table 1). Port activity has frequently dominated local economies for many decades or even centuries, creating acute awareness of the importance of port activity among the urban communities for their economic well-being. Socially, this has commonly instilled a strong sense of place identity among indigenous communities. In addition, through permanent immigration from overseas and the constant flow of ships' crews of many nationalities, seaport development has in many instances brought an important cosmopolitan dimension to urban life, frequently focused on maritime quarters or 'sailortowns' that have emerged cheek-by-jowl with the docklands(Young, 2002,, 95).

Table 1. Principal commercial port infrastructures with heritage potential

While this has been the typical model associated with the commercial port system, naval port growth has had similar outcomes. Over the centuries, technological change in warship design has created the stepwise need for new, usually larger, docks . State power has been emphasised within these docklands through infrastructural investment in imposing complexes of buildings . Naval activities not requiring immediate waterfront access—such as hospitals and barracks—have been located within the civilian town, again often employing imposing architecture to underline the significance of state power. Defence has been a consistent priority, affecting both urban morphology through the construction of increasingly ambitious fortifications and the wider coastal zone through the development of outlying forts and batteries ...