What is Cultural

Heritage?
Cultural Heritage is an expression of the ways of living developed by a community and passed on
from generation to generation, including customs, practices, places, objects, artistic expressions
and values. Cultural Heritage is often expressed as either Intangible or Tangible Cultural Heritage
(ICOMOS, 2002).
As part of human activity Cultural Heritage produces tangible representations of the value systems,
beliefs, traditions and lifestyles. As an essential part of culture as a whole, Cultural Heritage,
contains these visible and tangible traces form antiquity to the recent past.
Cultural Heritage is a wide concept. We prefer to concentrate on the similarities between the
various heritage sectors, instead of on their differences. Cultural Heritage can be distinguished in:

Archaeological sites and monuments.

Built Environment (Buildings, Industrial Heritage)
Natural Environment (Rural landscapes, Coasts and shorelines, Agricultural heritage)
Artefacts (Books & Documents, Objects, Pictures)
Having at one time referred exclusively to
the monumental remains of cultures,
cultural heritage as a concept has
gradually come to include new categories.
Today, we find that heritage is not only
manifested through tangible forms such
as artefacts, buildings or landscapes but
also through intangible forms. Intangible
heritage
includes
voices,
values,
traditions, oral history. Popularly this is
perceived through cuisine, clothing, forms
of
shelter,
traditional
skills
and
technologies,
religious
ceremonies,
performing arts, storytelling. Today, we
consider
the
tangible
heritage
inextricably bound up with the intangible
heritage. In conservation projects we aim
to preserve both the tangible as well as
the intangible heritage.

136 Finaghy Road North. BT10 0JD Belfast

breochloch@breochloch.net

Why Heritage is an
Important Community
Asset
Heritage sites and buildings can have a very positive influence on many aspects of the way a
community develops. Regeneration, housing, education, economic growth and community
engagement are examples of the ways in which heritage can make a very positive contribution to
community life. This is because:
The historic environment is a proven source of benefit to local economies, particularly through
tourism.
An attractive heritage environment assists in attracting external investment as well as maintaining
existing businesses of all types, not just tourism-related.
People are very proud of their local history, but dont always express how much they value a place
until its threatened. Because it adds character and distinctiveness to an area, heritage is a
fundamental in creating a sense of place for a community.
Adaptive reuse of heritage buildings is an important factor in creating sustainable communities.
Heritage buildings add value to regeneration projects, both in terms the economic and
environmental advantage of reuse over new build and in adding character to a precinct.
Heritage places can be a potent driver for community action.
Increased community values and greater
social inclusion can be achieved through a
focus on heritage matters.
The heritage places are an excellent local
educational resource for people of all ages.
Learning about the history of a place is a
good way of bringing communities together
through a shared understanding of the unique
cultural identity heritage places give to an area.
Areas where the heritage is understood
and valued tend to be better looked after
than those where heritage items have no
link with the community. Such links help to
foster civic responsibility and citizenship and
contribute to everyones quality of life.

136 Finaghy Road North. BT10 0JD Belfast

breochloch@breochloch.net