Members of the public are invited to find out more about the Portsmouth’s rich and varied heritage at Portsmouth Heritage Week next week.
Portsmouth Heritage Week takes place at the University of Portsmouth from 12 to 16 September. The week is for the public to discover the latest in heritage research from the University and how our expertise can benefit the wider community in Portsmouth and beyond.
During the week, there will be in-person and online events ranging from how heritage is valued, to the details of the science of heritage conservation, as well as how digital technologies can enhance understanding and appreciation of heritage.
Dr Robert Inkpen, Reader in Physical Geography and Co-Chair of the University’s Culture and Heritage Hub, said: “Understanding how we can tie together the academic expertise and issues of community concern is an important step in enabling academic research to have a real impact in Portsmouth. Aside from the economic value of heritage to the city, the importance of different types of heritage for the cultural and social well-being of communities is often undervalued and invisible to academic research.
“We hope that heritage week will begin to uncover pieces of these hidden heritages and so increase people’s engagement with all types of heritage in the city.”
As part of the week, the University is also running a survey to identify and understand how people perceive and value different types of heritage to help in developing appropriate and effective policies for heritage conservation.
The results will be published on the University’s Social Perceptions Observatory webpage at the end of the year, where people can view how their response has helped to understand perceptions of the heritage in Portsmouth.
Dr Robert Inkpen added: “The survey is a way for the public to get involved and to tell us their views about heritage, its conservation and what it means to them. Collectively, we can use their responses to build up a picture of how people's views vary around Portsmouth and how general worldviews might influence how the public perceives and values different sorts of heritage.”
To take part in the heritage survey, go to https://portsmouth.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/heritage-week-survey or contact robert.inkpen@port.ac.uk