Conservation Bulletin 70 | PDF - English Heritage

HERITAGE CRIME
direct physical damage caused to the heritage asset.
Having signed up to ARCH, the PDNPA is
considering what further steps it needs to take
to formalise its engagement with communities,
partners and stakeholders in seeking to combat
heritage crime in the Peak District.
Meanwhile, colleagues in other National Park
authorities are considering their own approaches to
ARCH and to heritage crime. Metal theft has been
an issue across all areas. In the New Forest National
Park it has had a particularly marked impact on
churches, while in the Lake District National Park
in December 2012 one man was jailed and another
received a suspended sentence for burglary with
intent to steal at the scheduled Backbarrow Ironworks.
And heritage crime is not confined to National
Parks in England. Across the border in Wales colleagues
have recorded impacts such as the graffiti
that defaced the Neolithic Bedd Arthur monument
in Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. In
the same National Park, the Bronze Age Bedd
Morris standing stone was deliberately knocked
over. The perpetrators of both these crimes have
not been apprehended. Colleagues in Brecon
Beacons National Park have experienced heritage
crimes similar to those occurring elsewhere,
including illicit metal detecting on scheduled
monuments and damage to listed buildings.
The establishment of ARCH is raising the profile
of these damaging criminal activities, which
occur within even our most special places. It is also
helping the development of stronger partnerships
to prevent such crimes. Where they do occur,
the response is now better informed and more
effective. And when criminals are apprehended,
it means more appropriate sentences are handed
down, which in turn raises the deterrence factor for
those who might otherwise have been tempted to
engage. ■
War memorials and metal theft
Amy Davidson, Andrea Levin and Emma Nelson
Conservation Officers,War Memorials Trust
War memorials are an integral part of the historic
built environment and can be found in almost
every city, town and village.They are an important
part of our architectural heritage, many having
been designed by celebrated architects and sculptors
such as Lutyens, Toft, Gill and Gilbert Scott
(Giles).
All memorials, whether of notable design or not,
are important reminders of the military, social and
local history of the country.As well as highlighting
the loss experienced by the community they may
be the only local record of an individual’s death.
Nationally they represent an unprecedented level
of mourning and commemoration, more poignant
considering they were not directed or funded by
government.
The cross in the churchyard or cenotaph in the
town centre are common sights, but war memorials
can take many forms and this variety adds to
their interest.They range from plaques and clocks
to organs, chapels and memorial halls. Some are
dedicated to the fallen; others are to more distinct
groups such as sporting clubs, choirs and employees.
This scope and variety should be cherished
and protected.
War Memorials Trust (www.warmemorials.org)
is a conservation charity that works to protect
and conserve all war memorials across the UK,
advising on best practice for conservation and
repair as well as administering grants. Because war
memorials serve commemorative and functional
roles as well as having artistic and architectural
value, the Trust often faces conflicting challenges
when works to them are being proposed. In unexpected
situations, such as theft, it is particularly
important that guidance is given to custodians so
that the memorial is appropriately repaired.
The Trust helps those affected by theft in a
number of ways, including advice about appropriate
replacements, finding contractors, prevention
methods and grants for repair following theft or
vandalism.
The Trust also takes a proactive approach to
reducing metal theft from war memorials. In 2009
it published guidance on War Memorial Theft: Prevention
and Solutions in conjunction with English
Heritage and its current ‘In Memoriam 2014’ project
(www.inmemoriam2014.org) is a partnership
with the SmartWater Foundation that provides free
SmartWater tagging to memorial custodians.
The current situation
War memorials commonly have metal elements
such as inscription plaques, statuary and lead lettering,
all of which are easy to steal.Theft from them
is not a new issue but there has been a marked
increase in the number of thefts or attempted thefts
reported to the Trust, most of them involving
metal. In 2010 the Trust was aware of 14 cases; this
dramatically increased to 40 cases in 2011. More
shocking still, 10 of these 40 incidents took place
36 | Conservation bulletin | Issue 70: Summer 2013