There are 31 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the UK and its overseas territories, ranging from the remote Henderson Island in the Pacific to Stonehenge and Avebury and some of the great engines of the industrial revolution such as Ironbridge and Saltaire. A nomination to add the Jodrell Bank Observatory to the World Heritage List has just been submitted. But what does World Heritage Site status actually mean and do local people who live in and around World Heritage Sites feel a real part of these highly valued places?

Henry Owen-John, the Head of International Advice at Historic England and a trustee of the Blackden Trust, will talk about the origins of UNESCO, how the World Heritage Convention came into being, discuss what World Heritage Site status involves and explore the extent to which local communities engage with it. The talk will be illustrated with examples from a diverse range of spectacular World Heritage Sites in the UK and beyond.

Join us afterwards for tea and refreshments.