Improving Access to Historic Buildings: Some English Experience

Nigel Walter

nigelesque@gmail.com
Department of Archaeology, University of York, The King's Manor, York YO1 7EP (United Kingdom)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1152-522X

Abstract

In England, accessibility to historic buildings falls under the Equality Act 2010, for which a key concept is the making of ‘reasonable adjustments’ to physical features of a building; this acknowledges that a blanket application of technical requirements would be detrimental to some historic buildings, and that equal access may not be achievable in every case. 

This paper approaches accessibility in historic buildings in England from two angles. The first is a consideration of two separate guidance documents, from Historic England and from the Church of England respectively; each document is outlined, offering points of comparison with guidance in other jurisdictions. One consistent theme in these documents is the positive framing of accessibility as of benefit not only for those with disabilities, but also for all users and potentially for the heritage itself. 

The second aspect of the paper comprises three case study projects from my own practice, spread across a range of building types, ages, and grades of protection, which together demonstrate by example some of what is currently considered possible in England, and illustrate how practice relates to policy and guidance. The paper ends by briefly reflecting on what light accessibility policy might shed on some broader questions of heritage concern.


Keywords:

accessibility, heritage, Historic England, Church of England, change, conservation

Church Buildings Council. (2021). Equal Access to Church Buildings. Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England. https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2021-10/Equal_Access_to_Church_Buildings.pdf
  Google Scholar

Historic England. (2008). Conservation Principles: Policies and Guidance for the Sustainable Management of the Historic Environment. English Heritage. https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/conservation-principles-sustainable-management-historic-environment/
  Google Scholar

Historic England. (2015a). Easy Access to Historic Buildings (3rd ed.). Historic England. https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/easy-access-to-historic-buildings/
  Google Scholar

Historic England. (2015b). Easy Access to Historic Landscapes (3rd ed.). Historic England. https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/easy-access-historic-landscapes/
  Google Scholar

Iones, S. (2017). Wrestling with the social value of heritage: Problems, dilemmas and opportunities. Journal of Community Archaeology a Heritage, 4(1): 21—37.
  Google Scholar

Kent, R. (2012). Disability Access Provisions for Historic Buildings. https://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/accessbcd98/access.htm
  Google Scholar

Lynch, S., & Proverbs, D. G. (2019). How Adaption of Historic Listed Buildings Aifords Access. International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, 38(4), 589—605. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBPA-11-2018-0093
  Google Scholar

Morrice, R. (2009). Ecclesiastical Exemption in England. Historic Churches. http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/eccexemption/ecclesiastical_exemption.htm
  Google Scholar

Morris,W. (2018). The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings Manifesto. https://WWW.spab.org.uk/about-us/spab-manifesto (Originally published in 1877)
  Google Scholar

Newman, I. H. (2001). An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine. http://www.newmanreader.org/works/development/chapter1.html (Originally published in 1845)
  Google Scholar

Schofield, A. I. (Ed.). (2014). Who Needs Experts?: Counter-mapping Cultural Heritage. Ashgate.
  Google Scholar

Walter, N. (2020a). Case Study: St Alkmund, Duifield, and the Ecclesiastical Exemption. In Narrative Theory in Conservation: Change and Living Buildings, 110—123. Routledge.
  Google Scholar

Walter, N. (2020b). The Narrative Approach to Living Heritage. Protection of Cultural Heritage 10: 126—138. https://doi.org/10.35784/odk.2443
  Google Scholar

Download


Published
2022-12-31

Cited by

Walter, N. (2022). Improving Access to Historic Buildings: Some English Experience. Protection of Cultural Heritage, (14). https://doi.org/10.35784/odk.2925

Authors

Nigel Walter 
nigelesque@gmail.com
Department of Archaeology, University of York, The King's Manor, York YO1 7EP United Kingdom
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1152-522X

Statistics

Abstract views: 177
PDF downloads: 197