New World Heritage Sites
At this year’s World Heritage Committee meeting in Paris, 26 new Sites were inscribed on the World Heritage List. They…
Read moreWhat we do
Welcome to the website for World Heritage UK, an organisation set up in 2015 to undertake networking, advocacy and promotion for the UK’s 35 outstanding World Heritage Sites, and the Tentative List Sites progressing towards WHS status.
World Heritage Sites are places from all around the world that are considered so important for the shared understanding and future of our planet we should look after them forever. There are more than 1200 Sites globally (1223 as of 2024), some are natural like the Great Barrier Reef or the Serengeti, and many are man-made like Stonehenge or the Taj Mahal. World Heritage Sites are identified by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), but looked after locally.
Our Vision
Our Vision is that the United Kingdom will have a coherent approach to World Heritage Sites that is better known and understood, and supported through sustainable funding, so that the Outstanding Universal Values of the Sites can provide inspiration, learning and enjoyment for society and contribute to the UK’s standing in the world.
More about our strategyOur Mission
Our Mission is to raise the profile and secure the future of the UK collection of World Heritage Sites by advocating for support, resources and recognition, facilitating learning and networking, and promoting the Sites and their values.
UK World Heritage Sites
The UK currently has 35 World Heritage Sites and more sites progressing towards World Heritage Site status. All of them contribute to the story of humankind and our planet.
They stretch across the whole of the UK and beyond to our Overseas Territories and cover geology, the natural world and all aspects of our history from prehistory to the 20th Century. Explore each of our UK World Heritage Sites and how to find out more here.
All UK World Heritage sitesMembership with World Heritage UK
World Heritage UK is by, of and for all the UK’s World Heritage Sites and Tentative List Sites.
World Heritage UK is a membership organisation, formally known as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). Its voting members set the strategy for the organisation. We invite any individual or organisation with an interest in World Heritage to join us.
Our strength lies in the fact that the majority of the UK’s World Heritage Sites are represented in our membership giving us the collective power to represent you at the highest level and speak for the UK’s World Heritage Sites.
Whether you are responsible for the management of a World Heritage Site, volunteer for an organisation in a World Heritage Site or have a professional or academic interest, we welcome you to join us and show your support for World Heritage in the UK. We have three levels of membership currently. See below to find out more.
Download membership brochure More about MembershipsLatest news
New strategy for World Heritage in Ireland
The Strategy for World Heritage in Ireland 2025-2035 is Ireland’s first national strategy to support the implementation of the 1972 UNESCO World…
Read moreICOMOS Emerging Professionals Summer School
Under the title “Olympic Park Munich: Conceptualising a Conservation Management Plan“, the Emerging Professionals Working Group of ICOMOS Germany, in…
Read moreICOMOS’ ECHOES Project: European Cloud for Heritage OpEn Science
ECHOES (European Cloud for Heritage OpEn Science) is a five-year project dedicated to developing the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural…
Read moreICOMOS-UK event – “Heritage at risk: a global perspective”
Thursday 3rd July, 5.30pm to 8.30pm, Alan Baxter Ltd – The Gallery, 75 Cowcross Street, London EC1M 6EL ICOMOS-UK’s Summer…
Read moreYouth engagement in Cornish Mining WHS
The Cornwall Schools Mining Games is an annual competition organised by the King Edward Mine Museum, that engages students from…
Read moreEvents
Our events programme for 2023 is currently in development. We will announce our programme of in-person, hybrid and online events as they are confirmed.
Why not sign up to our Newsletter on this page to ensure you are kept up to date with developments.
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