World Heritage UK 2022 Annual Conference

Celebrating 50 years of the World Heritage Convention, and looking ahead to the next 50.

Monday 3rd & Tuesday 4th October 2022, at Jodrell Bank World Heritage Site.

World Heritage UK is delighted to be holding its annual conference in-person once again. We look forward to welcoming you to and seeing you at Jodrell Bank WHS. As November 2022 sees the 50th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, we thought it would be an ideal moment in October to celebrate this milestone. And to reflect UNESCO’s own thinking and this year’s venue, we thought that we should also consider where World Heritage might head in the coming years and decades. Day 1 will therefore look back and day 2 will look ahead.

The draft programme is:

Day One – Monday 3rd October

• 9.30 – Reception & pre-conference teas and coffees
• 10.10 – Welcome from Chris Blandford, President WHUK & Prof. Teresa Anderson, Director of the University of Manchester’s Discovery Centre and Jodrell Bank WHS Coordinator
• 10.15 – ““World Heritage @50: achievements, challenges and outlook” Dr. Mechtild Rössler, ex-Director UNESCO World Heritage Centre
• 11.00 – Morning break
• 11.30 – “The value of WH to the UK” Laura Davies, UK Ambassador to UNESCO
• 12.15 – Q&A, chaired by Dr. Sam Rose, WHUK Trustee
• 12.45 – Lunch – staff from the Jodrell Bank Centre for Engagement will be on hand to talk about the pioneering science and fascinating history of Jodrell Bank, and to talk about the Centre’s award-winning public engagement work.  
• 14.00 – “36 Years of World Heritage in the UK” – Susan Denyer, ICOMOS-UK
• 14.45 – “The National Trust & World Heritage” – Mike Innerdale, Regional Director – North of England, National Trust
• 15.30 – Afternoon break
• 16.00 – Roundtable discussion with representatives from government and NDPBs: “World Heritage now – challenges and opportunities” (with Phil Foxwood DCMS, Alexandra Warr Historic England, Susan Denyer ICOMOS-UK, Alice Lyall Historic Environment Scotland, Kate Roberts Cadw, James Bridge UKNC, and Chris Blandford WHUK); chaired by Steve Ratcliffe, WHUK Trustee
• 16.45 – Final Q&A and reflection on the day, chaired by Prof. Ian Wray, WHUK Vice Chair
• 17.15 – Jodrell Bank World Heritage Site tour – a walking tour to the historic ‘south side’ of Jodrell Bank, the original heart of the observatory in the 1940s and 1950s. Learn about the discoveries that led to the new science of radio astronomy and walk in the footsteps of the Jodrell Bank pioneers. This is a 40-minute outdoor walking tour. Some of the route is on grass. Please be prepared for the Cheshire weather with suitable footwear and a coat. Sign up at lunchtime for three start times: 17:20, 17:25, 17:30
• 18.30 – Drinks and Food – enjoy an informal social evening in the First Light Pavilion, with cocktails or mocktails from Forest Distillery, and Buddha Bowls of hot meat, fish and veggie food from Forkandles Outside Caterers
• 19.30 – Night Sky Space Dome show (exact times TBC) – learn about the history of Jodrell Bank and experience a journey through the autumn night sky in our new Space Dome, led by one of Jodrell Bank’s knowledgeable explainers.  Story of Jodrell Bank exhibition – explore the new exhibition that brings the story of Jodrell Bank to life. An immersive encounter with the site’s rich history, the exhibition uses original audio, film, documents and photographs displayed digitally and projected onto the original dish panels of the Lovell Telescope.

Day Two – Tuesday 4th October

• 09.00 – Pre-conference teas and coffees
• 09.20 – Welcome from Tony Crouch, Chair WHUK & Prof. Teresa Anderson, Director of the University of Manchester’s Discovery Centre and Jodrell Bank WHS Coordinator
• 09.30 – 10.15 “The Future through World Heritage”, Prof. Cornelius Holtorf, UNESCO Chair of Heritage Futures, Heritage Futures I Archaeology, School of Cultural Sciences, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden
• 10.15 – 11.45pm Workshops on “The future through World Heritage“
• 11.45 – Final plenary with Prof. Holtorf
• 12.15 – “Learning from the past, to understand the present, to begin to identify and address future challenges for World Heritage” Prof. Peter Stone, Newcastle University
• 12.45 Lunch
• 13.45 – “The Next 10. The Future of World Heritage in Ireland“ Patrizia La Piscopia, Archaeologist, National Monuments Service, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Government of Ireland
• 14.15 – “What’s the future for WH from youth’s POV?” WH Youth Ambassadors (from Blaenavon & Hadrian’s Wall WHSs)
• 14.45 – Prof. Teresa Anderson, topic tbc
• 15.15 – Final Q&A
• 16.00 – Conference end

For accommodation, please click here to see options according to distance from Jodrell Bank WHS. There also options in Macclesfield which is about a 20-minute drive away.

For details of how to get to Jodrell Bank both by car and public transport, click here. Parking will be free for delegates.

To book your tickets, please go to the Events page here.

Jodrell Bank’s scientists use radio telescopes to collect signals from the depths of space. The Lovell Telescope is so powerful it could pick up a mobile phone signal from Mars. This is why Jodrell Bank WHS asks everyone who visits to turn their phones to airplane mode. It helps keep Jodrell Bank a radio quiet zone so that their scientists can continue their research. Thank you.

WHUK’s 2022 annual conference kindly supported by: