Discovery, Innovation and Science in the Historic Environment RESEARCH ISSUE 11 . WINTER 2018-19 ...to this winter issue of Research magazine. This issue presents another wide-ranging review of our recent research. We explore efforts to gain a much better understanding of how the historic environment helps to improve quality of life and wellbeing. This understanding is fundamental to persuading policy-makers of the social (as well as economic) value of our shared heritage. Keeping that heritage in good condition is often best achieved by finding new uses for historic structures. We report on research to understand the condition of the amazing group of historic textile mills in the north-west of the country, of which we have lost more than 500 in the last 30 years. Working in partnership with local authorities we hope to create a strategy to help preserve and repurpose these powerhouses of the industrial revolution. Catastrophic loss is the subject of another article, but this time as a catalyst for renewed public interest in their heritage. A major fire at St Martin’s Island in Exeter in 2016 destroyed two originally medieval buildings and damaged several more, receiving significant international media coverage, but prompting Welcome... local interest and a book on one of Exeter’s best collection of houses. Fire features again, in ‘Waking the Birdoswald Dead’. Here we explore how heritage science disciplines are brought to bear on investigating Roman cremations from the vicinity of Birdoswald Roman fort on Hadrian’s Wall, with some surprising and intriguing results. The discovery is only one part of research and investigation: we also need to consider what to keep, where and for how long. A research partnership between the University of Reading and Historic England showcases the use of palaeoenvironmental archive resources to produce fresh interpretations of past environments and ancient ways of life, and exposes the challenges that these archives face. Barney Sloane National Specialist Services Director. Front cover image: Birdoswald vessel SF33516 as reconstructed with the contents visible. © Historic England, James O. Davies, DP219758 2 historic england research winter 2018-19 winter 2018-19 historic england research 3 We are the public body that helps people England’s spectacular historic environment care for, enjoy and celebrate Contents .................Winter issue RESEARCH magazine Editor Colum Giles Designer Vincent Griffin Web design Robin Page Managing Editor Paul Backhouse Previous issues of Historic England Research can be viewed online at: http://bit.ly/ HEresearchbackissues ISSN: 2058-1858 Product Code: 52114 Copyright © the authors or their employing institutions (text) and Historic England 2018. The views expressed are those of individual contributors and not necessarily those of Historic England. For any further information and questions please email: 6 18 28 34 46 [email protected] If you would like this document in a different format, please contact our customer service department on: Telephone: 0370 333 0607 Wellbeing and the historic Reviewing the condition of Archaeological Paleo- Waking the Birdoswald dead Exeter’s Cathedral Yard fire Textphone: 01793 015 0174 environment... why bother? historic textile mills in the NW environmental archiving Analysing five funerary vessels and surrounding buildings Email: customers@Historic Exploring the relationships between Textile mill surveys in Lancashire Raising awareness of England’s from the Roman cemetery. Destruction and a reawakening. England.org.uk wellbeing and historic places. and Greater Manchester. archived paleoenvironmental resource. 4 historic england research winter 2018-19 winter 2018-19 historic england research 5 Wellbeing and ...why bother? Exploring the relationship between the historic wellbeing and historic places. Historic England has produced an assessment, Wellbeing and the historic environment, that sets out environment... the available evidence for the role of the historic environment in promoting health and wellbeing and explores the ways in which that relationship could be explored further, both by Historic England and more widely. >> Visitors at Avebury Henge, Wiltshire. © University of Reading 6 historic england research winter 2018-19 winter 2018-19 historic england research 7 What is wellbeing? to learn and ultimately is about enabling A framework for considering wellbeing and volunteer projects tend to capture a limited Wellbeing Research by the What Works Centre for everyone to fulfil their own potential. heritage, designed to help Historic England demographic of (self-selecting) employed, ‘is quality Wellbeing defines wellbeing as ‘about develop a contribution to the agenda; educated and higher socio-economic people, and creating the conditions for Wellbeing evaluation can directly groups. Examples such as Operation of life and us all to thrive. It is quality of life and feed into and respond to more recent Strategic objectives for wellbeing and Nightingale and Homeless Heritage provide prosperity, prosperity, positive physical and mental Government calls for wellbeing, the historic environment formulated models for creating opportunities with non- positive health, sustainable thriving communities’. integration and cohesion (for example, through the Five Ways to Wellbeing heritage or more vulnerable groups. There physical It recognises that humans are emotional Culture White paper, the emerging Civil (Give, Be Active, Keep Learning, Take is potential to do more along these lines. and that they value non-financial benefits, Society Strategy, and the Integrated Notice and Connect) and mental so how you feel and your quality of life as Communities Strategy Green Paper). Heritage as participation. This is A large body health, you experience it matter too. Government has recognised that A framework for considering about visiting sites of cultural interest. of research sustainable Gross Domestic Product is no longer wellbeing and heritage The subject is supported by a large body indicates thriving In 2008 the Government Office of Science an acceptable indicator of a nation’s The framework demonstrates the of research which indicates that cultural published a report on Mental Capital wellbeing because, while it is rising, relationship between wellbeing and heritage engagement is linked to wellbeing. Surveys that cultural communities’ and Wellbeing, in which it promoted social inequality is increasing. Wellbeing in six ways. are useful but limited because the degree engagement the five ways to wellbeing developed by therefore is now a policy issue, politically of improvement can be too slight to be is linked to the New Economics Foundation (NEF). and conceptually linked with addressing Heritage as a process. This is about statistically significant; bias capture of These were created as suggestions for health inequality and social cohesion doing, most commonly in heritage circles higher socio-economic groups and causality wellbeing individual action to promote the process as long-term government priorities. In through volunteering as an active and are difficult to determine without greater of wellbeing. Wellbeing and mental capital our assessment we provide evidence for committed relationship over time, a process contextual understanding of a person’s life. affects people’s life satisfaction and ability creating the following: that yields wellbeing outcomes. Many It relates best to curatorial practices. >> Far left: Five ways to wellbeing. © Historic England Left centre: Soldier from 3 Rifles at Barrow Clump Wiltshire. © Crown Copyright Give Near left: People enjoying the peace and tranquility at K g St Peter’s Cathedral, Be e eep nin Activ Lear The Close, Exeter, Devon. © Historic England Archive, James O. Davies, DP196557 T ake Notice Connect 8 historic england research winter 2018-19 winter 2018-19 historic england research 9 Heritage as mechanism. This is about forces and police, the mayor and local Above left: The Chattri, Above right: Handling Heritage as healing. This is about disadvantaged young people, including using cultural assets to bring people people, maintains the unique and fittingly Patcham, Brighton, museum objects can therapy through the properties of cultural those with poor mental health, found that East Sussex. © Historic help wellbeing. together for therapeutic or social purposes dignified memorial service to the Indian heritage. Qualitative and experiential connectedness was the major outcome of England, Steven Baker, © Historic England to provide a common point of interest soldiers that died in the First World War. DP184442 assessment of patients on wards handling project work, but also that they experienced or experience. Multiple examples exist, museum objects revealed a number of an increase in their self-awareness, self- including, at a large scale, the British The benefits of social interaction, creative transactional benefits such as thinking expression, sense of belonging and ability Museum Reminiscences programme opportunities and sharing memories may and meaning-making, self-esteem and to relate to others by seeing things from and, at a local level, projects such as the contribute towards social cohesion through positive interactions. Other projects on different perspectives. >> memorialisation at the Chattri Indian sharing experiences and developing new Memorial, Sussex. This collaboration connections. This has significant potential between the Undivided Indian Ex-Service for