Category Archives: Heritage

European Parliament Votes on Cultural Heritage Initiative

Posted on: September 10, 2015 by Ana Laura Blanco

This week the European Parliament debated and adopted a report on the future of cultural heritage in Europe. The report highlighted the economic importance of cultural heritage and pointed the way towards further European legislation in this field. In May 2014, EU Culture Ministers called for the “mainstreaming of cultural heritage in national and European policies” and “the development of […]

Cultural heritage report to be considered by European Parliament

Posted on: September 1, 2015 by Ruth Redmond-Cooper

It has been brought to our attention that during the next plenary session of the European Parliament (7-8 September 2015), there will be a presentation and vote on the own-initiative report ‘Towards an integrated approach to cultural heritage for Europe‘ led by the Committee on Culture and Education. We will be providing an overview and […]

Old Flo is here to stay… in Tower Hamlets, that is

Posted on: July 9, 2015 by Alexander Herman

Judgment was handed down yesterday in an important case involving a Henry Moore sculpture (Draped Seated Woman) lovingly known as ‘Old Flo’. The sculpture, bought from the artist by London County Council in 1962 to be publicly displayed in the city’s East End, has been at the centre of a dispute between two London boroughs: […]

World Heritage at Risk: Bonn Meeting

Posted on: July 4, 2015 by Ruth Redmond-Cooper

The World Heritage Committee is currently meeting in Bonn (28 June to 8 July) to consider nominations for inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. In addition, UNESCO’s director general, Irina Bokova has confirmed that UNESCO is entering into a contract for satellite monitoring of sites at risk of looting and destruction. At the opening of […]

Reforms to Ancient Monuments and Listed Buildings law in Wales

Posted on: May 11, 2015 by Richard Harwood QC

The Historic Environment (Wales) Bill was introduced into the Welsh Assembly on 1st May 2015. It proposes a variety of changes to listed building, monuments and historic environment law. These include for listed buildings: A requirement to consult on the proposed listing of buildings Interim protection during such consultations, and compensation if the building is not […]

New book on Richard III discovery

Posted on: April 15, 2015 by Alexander Herman

A book has recently been published by the team from Leicester University that uncovered the bones of Richard III in a Leicester car park in February 2013. Entitled The Bones of a King: Richard III Rediscovered, it was written by the Greyfriars research team with Maev Kennedy and Len Foxhall. Of course we have commented on […]

Earthquakes and Digital Archiving in New Zealand

Posted on: March 17, 2015 by Rosemary Baird

As reported in my last post, on 4 September 2010 an earthquake of 7.1 magnitude struck the Canterbury region of New Zealand. It was followed by thousands of aftershocks, including one of 6.3 magnitude on 22 February 2011 which caused widespread destruction and 185 deaths. Since the earthquakes, the people and institutions of Canterbury have been recording their experiences. […]

Commercial Aspects of Treasure: Monday 1st of December

Posted on: November 21, 2014 by Ruth Redmond-Cooper

An IAL seminar entitled The Commercial Aspects of Treasure will be held in conjunction with the global law firm Clyde & Co at their offices in London on Monday 1st of December 2014 from 9.00 am until 2.00 pm. The seminar will examine a range of issues relating to the law of treasure and finds, including the scope […]

Further attempts at protecting Syrian heritage

Posted on: November 19, 2014 by Alexander Herman

The US Congress will soon be entertaining a Bill, proposed last Thursday, that seeks to offer protection for endangered Syrian cultural objects and that would set up a Coordinator for International Cultural Property Protection (what American cultural heritage lawyer Rick St. Hilaire calls a cultural property protection “czar”). These are of course welcome developments. The protection […]

Court warns against sale of Church of England treasures without authorisation

Posted on: September 26, 2014 by Richard Harwood QC

In a strongly worded judgment, the Chancellor of the Diocese of Gloucester, June Rodgers, has warned priests and the art market against sales of property in churches without a faculty. A faculty, granted by the Chancellor of the Diocese, is required for works to parish churches, churchyards and ‘articles appertaining thereto’: see the Care of […]