Historic England research shows heritage boosts your wellbeing

Today, the public body have published their first-of-its-kind research which discovered the overall wellbeing value for people’s encounters of heritage is estimated to be worth £29bn.

The research, which can be found in the Heritage Capital and Wellbeing: Examining the Relationship Between Heritage Density and Life Satisfaction report, shows that like green spaces, historic areas within the UK can also benefit locals quality of life.

Heritage at Risk 2018.
All Saints Church, Leek Road, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
Interior, general view of the heated glazed enclosure in the north aisle.

Experts found that on average, life satisfaction improves to the value of £515 a year from living near heritage. This has been calculated using guidance from the Treasury on measuring and quantifying in economic terms the effect of policies on people’s lives.

In addition, the research also investigated the impacts of different types of heritage including listed buildings, scheduled monuments, protected wrecks, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, and world heritage sites.  

The analysis illustrated that Grade II listed buildings, which represent 92% of England’s historic places on the National Heritage List for England, are the main drivers of life satisfaction increases. This implies that its being closer to a wealth of everyday heritage rather than experiencing rare, exceptional historic places, that is responsible for increasing higher life satisfaction. 

Lord Neil Mendoza, chairman of Historic England, said: ‘For the first time we have robust economic evidence that heritage makes a significant contribution to people’s quality of life. We all value the role that green spaces play in ensuring wellbeing; this new ground-breaking research shows us that the everyday local heritage found in towns and cities across England plays a comparable and valuable role.’

‘This is the first research to quantify the wellbeing value of the very existence of heritage, whether or not people participate in heritage activities,’ Lord Mendoza said. For example, the value of £515 a year whether someone interacts with the small civic museum or village church, or not.’

The research has been launched today at The Wellbeing and Heritage Conference which is being held in Northampton. It was funded by the Department for Culture Media and Sport’s Culture and Heritage Capital Programme.

Adala Leeson, head of social and economic research at Historic England, said: ‘People often experience emotional connections with their local heritage, yet the link between heritage and wellbeing is frequently overlooked in economics. This innovative research uses economic techniques to demonstrate that heritage is not just a nice to have; it has significant, measurable impacts on our overall wellbeing. 

‘As the first in a series of economic research projects produced by Historic England, funded by the DCMS Culture and Heritage Capital Programme and guided by HM Treasury’s Green Book, this research provides compelling economic evidence that demonstrates the value of heritage, and reinforces the importance of the advocacy and conservation efforts made by volunteers, community groups and the heritage sector to protect historic places.’

Image: Historic England 

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