History, heritage and localism

Western heritage movements emerged first at the local level, with community and interest groups being the primary lobbyists for legislative protection and wider government support – even if the focus of preservations was initially almost exclusively national in focus. This article explores the Anglo-British approaches to heritage preservation over the past century which, initially, reflected a continued move towards localism, but, in recent years, has found itself at a crossroads, where, if it wants to further embrace community localism, fundamental changes are required in the basic attitudes towards, and notions of, heritage governance. Beginning with a brief outline of the heritage movement's evolution, this article then seeks to explore the issue of ‘place’ in shaping individual and community attachment to heritage sites and landscapes. In doing so, it explores the relative logic and problem of the local governance of local heritage.