Walled Towns Heritage 2020

Patron Peter Osborne MBE

Published Web version Minutes Jan 23rd 2020 in York

Attendance:
David Bruce Secretary and Convener (minutes)
Jane Hebblewhite
Mark Lusby
Vicky MacDonald
Margaret Shaw Treasurer
Bernard Shaw
Trevor Hallett
Also present and participating (as members after item 6 below)
Bill Hill
Louisa Hood
Quorum of five being achieved, Vicky Macdonald was invited to chair the meeting.
A special message of condolence (appended) was to be sent to Ethel Price in Memory of John Price, MBE, who had died in December 2019.  He was Walled Towns Friendship Circle Vice President from 1991 and President 2000-2009. Vicky MacDonald had been able to attend the funeral as had a number of WTFC colleagues.

1) Minutes of meeting in Chester January 2019 were agreed as a true record
2) Matters arising
Thought be given to creating network of member towns with resources to fund future meetings.
It was however, recognised that Walled Towns Heritage itself is essentially a fund to offer grants within the Objective as specified in opening our bank account in 2018:
"to support heritage education and activity with young people through schools and other youth organisations in walled towns in Ireland and Britain".
This is always to be seen in the context of the two Walled Towns Friendship Circle Declarations – Piran and Canterbury and thirdly the ‘In the Shelter of the Walls’ Intent.” (see Annex 2 below).
Item 7a The teacher training and has now been shelved.
Item 8 Of the £500 assigned to website development £30 had been spent
3) Hon Sec/convenor's short report of 2019
 (circulated in advance but also attached Annex 3) was noted and thanks were given to Margaret and CAAG for the October 2019 Meet-up in Berwick-Upon-Tweed. The meet-up papers and reports form helped to inspire the proposals discussed in the Workshop session.
4) Treasurer's report
 circulated at the meeting was noted. Treasurer Margaret was thanked. The main expenditure had been the meet-up and seminar in Berwick-upon-Tweed in October. £8954.48 was the balance on the WTH account before this meeting.

At this point the formal meeting was adjourned for a Workshop session on specific proposals

See Annex 4 for the report

Reconvening as Wall Towns Heritage


5) Membership of Walled Towns Heritage
We proposed to offer Bill Hill a place in the group. After some discussion on roles and representation, we agreed that like the founder members – David, Margaret, Bernard, Vicky, Mark and Trevor, membership for Bill would be personal although associated with their home towns (in his case York and the Friends of York Walls).
Louisa Hood was also invited to join but like Jane, as an Officer and therefore a representative of Chester’s Council, Louisa would be a representative of the York City Council.
For purposes of quorum and In the rare occasion of votes, York, like Berwick would have one member only.
We welcomed Louisa’s and Bill’s acceptance
and continued the meeting with them as members.

6) Decisions from the workshop
a) The Diary Project:
It was agreed that Tweedmouth West School be awarded a significant grant to pursue the project and would be supported by Margaret Shaw, and CAAG for any back up research.
Both Berwick-upon-Tweed and York would be expected to contribute to a more widely usable Teachers’ Pack and to produce a 500 word report to Walled Towns Heritage.
The cheque to Tweedmouth West School was to be signed and issued by David Bruce as Convener and Secretary, and Margaret Shaw as Treasurer.
b) other proposals
It was agreed to ringfence a sum for similar grants for comparable projects in Tenby, Derry, Chester and Conwy to be proposed for the school year 2020-2021. In the case of Chester this might involve their ‘SEEN’ based ideas. For Conwy a small contribution to Welsh language translation was agreed.
The Portcullis Project was to be discussed with the Stirling based ’Engine Shed’ for a collaborative project.
7) Plans for a York seminar in the autumn.
Following up earlier correspondence, David asked Bill and Louise to confirm that York was prepared to hold a ‘Walled Towns Heritage’ symposium later in the year. The merits of holding it in August to coincide with the York Walls Festival or in October when professional delegates and speakers were more likely to be available were discussed. It was noted that in September, there is a York Archaeological Forum
It was agreed that Louisa would seek a meeting space in York in October [subsequent to this meeting, Louisa has secured the George Hudson meeting room,, which has a capacity of 120 for Wednesday 28 October 12h30 – 17h and Thursday 29 October 8h30 – 17h. This room is in City of York Council’s West Offices, a five minute walk from York Railway Station, in fact, in the Old York Railway Station and just inside York’s City Walls].
One speaker was initially suggested by Bill Hill – Barry Crump, an archaeologist on “the meaning of walled towns” Others would be proposed as a theme for the symposium was developed, a programme agreed (by correspondence).
No financial commitment from Walled Towns Heritage beyond the use of some of the previously agreed marketing budget was agreed.
8) Next Meeting and Thanks
There being no other business, Vicky was thanked for chairing the meeting and Bill and the Friends of York Walls for providing the space and excellent buffet.
Meeting ended at 4pm. The next meeting would be at the York Symposium in October. Any intermediate meetings, if required would be by email
DMB 20-Feb-2020

List of Annexes



1              Letter to Ethel via Vicky
5.            Diary Proposal from Bill Hill, Friends of York Walls  (not included in published minutes)
6              Portcullis Project by Bill Hill, Friends of York Walls(not included in published minutes)






ANNEXES

Dear Ethel,
We have heard with deepest regret that John Price has died. Some of us have already written to you and /or attended his funeral but as a group dedicated to carrying on his Walled Towns work, particularly as expressed in his 2006 forward to the “The Young in the Shelter of Town Walls” whose intent is to give the cultural heritage of each Walled Town “a continuum beyond our own lifetimes” as John rather poignantly put it. With the patronage of Peter Osborne, we are delighted to be able to support schools and young people in walled towns – initially Berwick-upon-Tweed, Chester, Conwy, Derry, Tenby and York.
In doing so we remember John’s great contribution to the heritage and promotion of Walled Towns and as his friends, we wish you well at this difficult time.
Yours Sincerely

for
Walled Towns Heritage
David Bruce, Trevor Hallett, Jane Hebblewhite, Mark Lusby,
Vicky Macdonald, Margaret and Bernard Shaw
Patron – Peter Osborne OBE

[Vicky please amend as appropriate and send on to Ethel (if you have Ethel’s address)]




2.         Walled Towns Friendship Circle Declarations – Piran and Canterbury and the ‘Shelter’ objective from 2017 WTH Proposal:
PIRAN/PIRANO 1998
Walled Towns are unique inheritances from times long past
 and should be treasured, maintained and safeguarded
from neglect and destruction
and passed into perpetuity as irreplaceable
'Timestones of History‘
Peter Osborne MBE
Developing the declaration we can say that each walled town is a unique inheritance[ ] from times long past. Emphasising the importance of conservation and heritage interpretation to treasure, maintain and safeguard from neglect and destruction each walled town needs plans and programmes to pass on that heritage into perpetuity as irreplaceable 'Timestones of History’.
Similarly we can incorporate the Canterbury Accord, agreed by the WTFC Symposium in 2008,
Walled Towns in the Friendship Circle are expected
to evolve as sanctuaries of Conciliation and Peace
Peter Osborne MBE
This will help ensure that different heritages, present or potentially present in a walled town are fully and fairly included. To quote UNESCO’s NARA Declaration (1996) “the heritage of one is the heritage of all” [but there remains a] risk that local heritage can just encourage a chauvinism, inimical to outsiders, migrants and refugees.
Some years ago, UNESCO performed the role of the catalyst for the town in Piran/Pirano which led on to the WTFC 2006 project, “The Young in the Shelter of Town Walls” (2006). The invaluable experience of working with schools in the walled towns of the project including Chester (which incorporated the SEEN project) was shared with five other European towns and can be built on …. As the then President of WTFC, put it
The Young in the Shelter of Town WallsIntent
is to give
the cultural heritage of each Walled Town
 “a continuum beyond our own lifetimes”.
John Price MBE
Scrolls of the Piran Declaration, Canterbury Accord and “The Young in the Shelter of the Walls” Intent, adapted to the individual walled town might be awarded to school children or others associated with this project.



3          Walled Towns Heritage Secretary and Convenor's Report 2019.

After a frustrating year in 2018 when only the bank account was arranged, 2019 began with a useful meeting in Chester in January. (see attached minutes for formal noting).
While a number of the proposals from that meeting have not to date borne fruit, the agreement to support the Berwick-upon-Tweed "Opening Minds … Meet-up” resulted in a small but productive event in October.
In the spring, Chair Anne Scicluna, who had not been able to attend meetings, felt it right to resign her role due to other commitments. She is thanked for her help in establishing the group. Since that time, the Secretary has taken on the role of Convenor and Vicky Macdonald has kindly agreed to chair meetings of the group.
Margaret Shaw and the Berwick-upon-Tweed conservation Areas Advisory Group (CAAG) hosted the meet-up admirably and the Secretary of WTH  helped to identify and invite a range of speakers and discussants as well as, with assistance from Mark Lusby, to produce a flyer and printed programme documents. But the vital spark was lit by the children of Tweedmouth school with their head teacher-Mrs Anne Robertson. As well as WTH members -  Vicky as chair, Jane & David as presenters  - a UNESCO adviser, Stirling's Building Consecration centre and the York Walls Festival made for a varied and stimulating two days http://www.walledtownsresearch.org or @walledtowns.
From the Meet up, Bill Hill of Friends of York Walls has generated well thought out proposals for stimulating selected schools to take on the heritage of walled towns as part of their curriculum. 
DMB 21-01-2020

4.         Report of Workshop session on schools proposals

Centring around proposals for bursaries to free-up teachers' time:
a)         the Twins Diary Project “Hannah and Josiah” and proposals based on Bill Hill’s paper circulated after the Berwick meet-up as suitable for First or Junior schools (see appended paper 5 but not included in published minutes).
b)         a Portcullis project modelling proposal, based on a Bill Hill paper (6 but not included in published minutes)   
c)         other proposals including the 2019 teacher training project for Chester and North Wales – now shelved.
were discussed with Bill relating the projects to Key Stage teaching objectives in the National Curriculum.
a) Bill reported the plan for a York (RC primary) school which volunteered to create a multi-disciplinary modules fortnight with five teachers with Art, RE, Science, English and Music expertise Funding of £1000 is from the existing Lottery Award and would be basing the project on the “Hannah and Josiah” Twins Diary (but not included in published minutes)
In discussion, the general era of the 18th Century was thought to be appropriate for most walled towns and appropriate historic maps could be related to the project. The project is primarily an exercise in imagination.
With Tweedmouth West School enthusiastic to take up the Twins Diary, there is the prospect of two worked examples being complete by the summer of 2020.
Each was expected to contribute to a more widely usable Teachers’ Pack and to produce a 500 word report.

b) A Portcullis re-creation project.
Bill introduced this CDT heritage idea, more likely to be applicable to Middle or Secondary Schools, again with National Curriculum criteria in mind. It is appended to these minutes (Annex 6 but not included in published minutes) and it was agreed that Bill would see what scope there was to develop this with Brian Wilkinson in Stirling.

c) ‘SEEN’
Jane, for Chester, would look to developing an 8-18 revival of an earlier project involving pupils in local democratic decision making ‘SEEN’, which had been related to the 2006 ‘In the Shelter of the Walls’ trans-European report -      
David would [and subsequently has] send her a copy of that report.
d) other proposals including the 2019 teacher training project for Chester and North Wales were now to be shelved. 
With these as a basis, Chester, Conwy, Derry and Tenby were confident of generating further exercises in the subsequent school year.

End of workshop – the formal meeting reconvened to record decisions as a result of the workshop discussions Agenda ItemWe were pleased to announce a new initiative launched in Berwick-upon-Tweed 19th October 2017


EARLIER FOLLOW UP MEETING 22ND JANUARY 2019  IN CHESTER.
Please follow us on @walledtowns
Chester 1568 in Braun and Hogenberg  1572-1617 
Expecting to decide on 'Opening Minds not Closing Gates' in 2019

Walled Towns Heritage Commission:
a proposal to develop local Walled Town
‘Advocates’.

In July 2017, Peter Osborne MBE, Life President of Walled Towns Friendship Circle, founded in 1989 in Tenby (now European Walled Towns) proposed funding what he has called a ‘Walled Town Heritage Commission’. Contact point is David Bruce.

Peter Osborne’s vision is for each walled town to keep their heritage alive through the generations by getting the children of the town to inspire their parents and elders. But who will inspire the children? Working with or selected from among primary and middle school heads and teachers, or perhaps more specialist secondary teachers, local walled towns heritage ‘Advocates’ will be charged with this role.
To generate this series of essentially local initiatives, David Bruce on behalf of Peter Osborne has invited a small group of Walled Town heritage specialists, all active and/or former members of European Walled Towns or associated with member/former member towns to form a Walled Towns Heritage Commission to appoint a roving ‘Commissioner’ who will prepare guidance for and visit walled towns to promote the initiation of the local advocates as well as developing longer term funding proposals to extend the initiative. Based on earlier versions of this paper a meeting was convened in Berwick-upon-Tweed on 18th October 2017, at which the Walled Towns Heritage Commission was established.
The purpose of the Commission has been specified as:
To generate a series of local initiatives, within the isles of Ireland and Britain[1] for identifying local advocates of the heritage of the walled town, particularly for local schools, as well as developing longer term funding proposals to sustain the activity.
This purpose is to be achieved in the light of and building on the three foundations of the Piran Declaration, the Canterbury Accord and the objective “to have a continuum beyond our own lifetimes” (John Price MBE) of ‘The Young in the Shelter of the Walls’.
To achieve this purpose, these invitees, as individual Members of the Commission (not normally as representatives of their towns) are making arrangements to fund and manage the work of the roving Walled Towns Commissioner (WTC).

The Founder Members of the Commission are
Peter Osborne, MBE
Founder and Life President of Walled Towns Friendship Circle (now European Walled Towns) has been appointed
Patron and Honorary Member
Anne Scicluna

(apologies for absence) Associated with Chichester and a Vice President of EWT, nominated and elected in telephone contact with the Berwick meeting as
Chair and Member
Margaret and Bernard Shaw
Associated with Berwick-upon-Tweed; nominated and elected as
Treasurer and Member
David Bruce
Associated with walled towns research and academic adviser to EWT; nominated and elected as 
Hon Sec and Member
Jane Hebblewhite
Associated with Chester Museum and as an Officer implicitly representing Cheshire West and Chester (CWaC)
Member
Trevor Hallett
Associated with Tenby and origins of Walled Towns Friendship Circle
Member
Mark Lusby

Associated with Friends of Derry Walls and PhD student of walled towns heritage
Member
Vicky Macdonald

Associated with Conwy and Associate Members of EWT
Member
Medwyn Jones
(apologies for absence) Associated with North Wales Walled Towns
To be re-invited
Eamonn McEneaney
Associated with Waterford Museum, Ireland
To be invited


Trevor, Vicky, Jane and Mark - four members of the WTHC
 Further co-options may be made in due course.
Should any one of the Members taking on paid work for the Commission, he or she will need first to resign their Membership of the Commission. Membership of the Commission is limited to twelve.
The Commission’s plans are grounded in the work of Walled Towns Friendship Circle (now European Walled Towns) starting with the Piran Declaration (1998)
Walled Towns are unique inheritances from times long past
 and should be treasured, maintained and safeguarded
from neglect and destruction
and passed into perpetuity as irreplaceable
'Timestones of History‘ Peter Osborne MBE 


Developing the declaration we can say that each walled town is a unique inheritance[ ] from times long past. Emphasising the importance of conservation and heritage interpretation to treasure, maintain and safeguard from neglect and destruction each walled town needs plans and programmes to pass on that heritage into perpetuity as irreplaceable 'Timestones of History’.

Similarly we can incorporate the Canterbury Accord, agreed by the WTFC Symposium in 2008,Walled Towns in the Friendship Circle are expected to evolve as sanctuaries of Conciliation and Peace   Peter Osborne MBE

This will help ensure that different heritages, present or potentially present in a walled town are fully and fairly included. To quote UNESCO’s NARA Declaration (1996) “the heritage of one is the heritage of all”. There is risk that local heritage can just encourage a chauvinism, inimical to outsiders, migrants and refugees.
Some years ago, UNESCO performed the role of the catalyst for the town in Piran/Pirano which led on to the WTFC 2006 project “The Young in the Shelter of Town Walls” (2006). The invaluable experience of working with schools in the walled towns of the project including Chester (which incorporated the SEEN project) was shared with five other European towns and can be built on for the current proposal. As the then President of WTFC, put it
The Young in the Shelter of Town Walls” Intent
is to give
the cultural heritage of each Walled Town
 “a continuum beyond our own lifetimes”John Price MBE
Scrolls of the Piran Declaration, Canterbury Accord and “The Young in the Shelter of the Walls” Intent, adapted to the individual walled town might be awarded to school children or others associated with this project.
In England, each Walled Towns Heritage Advocate will in many cases be able to work with a local councillor ‘Heritage Champion’ as promoted by English heritage[2] but will be distinguished from that role as (1) independent of the local authority and not time limited by the electoral cycle and (2) focussed on the walled town or walled town centre itself and the associated gates and towns walls.
Similar relations with local authorities and national heritage bodies are expected to be built up in Ireland, Wales and Scotland. CADW in Wales is understood to favour a similar approach.
Recognising that every walled town will be at a different level of heritage awareness and have different patterns of schools and colleges, the work of the roving Walled Towns Commissioner (WTC) will be expected to adopt appropriate approaches, using existing and developing local walled town contacts. The aim will be to identify the local advocate and support him or her carrying on the work of promoting walled towns conservation to future generations. The WTC’s work might be rather like that of the Education Officer of a Museum.

The Proposal for 2018

The Commission is setting a brief to develop and realise the work of the roving ‘Walled Town Commissioner' (WTC). This work of researching and generating the Teaching Pack/App for the use of the local ‘Advocate’ of walled town heritage, will initially be funded from a small fund managed by the Walled Towns Heritage Commission. The work will include developing the concept, making personal contact with relevant and useful people in each walled town and bidding for continuation funding.
A proposal for a tightly drawn brief to be drafted by Members to commission such a Teaching Pack/App is being discussed and agreed by the Members of the WTHC



A Teaching pack / App
for (final) year of Primary/ Middle Schools close to or within walled towns.
Each walled town will be encouraged to appoint a local Walled Town Heritage Advocate
In consultation with ‘Advocates’ set up in at least four walled towns in Ireland and UK working with say (or at least) six primary or middle schoolsthe Teaching Pack/App will be local but must also be more broadly applicable and capable of being replicated and developed year by year into the future.
The Teaching Pack/App will have physical - card, picture, verbal, modelling even origami or edible elements for children to work with and create
AS WELL AS
digital elements and virtual tours etc. perhaps giving substance to the phrase ‘artificial inheritage’[3] coined at the Berwick symposium.






















An individual commissioned to fulfill this brief will be given the title of ‘’Walled Towns Commissioner’ and will be paid for successful intermediate outcomes and for the Teaching Pack/App itself within a specified time limit.
The work throughout will be guided by and reported to the Walled Towns Heritage Commission (WTHC).

The Walled Towns Heritage Commission will thus mark, in Ireland and Great Britain, the 20th Anniversary of the Piran/Pirano Declaration by promoting and conserving the walled town heritage and passing it ‘on into perpetuity'. Supported by the work of the Walled towns Commissioner, the ’Advocates’ appointed will explore the history and heritage of their own specific walled town with their own young people - generation by generation. Local schools, particularly primary and middle schools will be the key to transmitting that walled town heritage, in effect making it a localised part of the 'national' curriculum.




Time schedule

2017
Jul           Peter Osborne MBE, Life President of Walled Towns Friendship Circle (now European Walled Towns) expresses the idea.
·         Aug/Sept             David Bruce develops the proposal and responds to Peter 0.
·         Sep                        Invitations to steering group to respond with comments.
·         Oct                         Publically announced proposal at Berwick Heritage Days 18th-19th October.
o   initial discussion among those present and keeping others touch, officers elected and  minutes produced
·         Nov Dec 2017     Propose and develop brief and procedures for WTHC by email
o   set up 'constitution' and bank account
2018
The Twentieth Anniversary of the Piran Declaration and Tenth of the Canterbury Accord.
-          a speculative programme which could be accelerated with WTHC in place earlier
·         Jan agree Budget the funds available
·         Feb agree patterns and procedure for the work of the Walled Towns Commissioner WTC. Begin establishment of Website and social media
    2nd Meeting of WTHC
·         Mar-Final agreement of Brief for work of WTC.
·         April-. WTC begins work , with funds to be made available
·         May - Prepare for and plan for WTC visiting selected Walled Towns in UK & Ireland
·         Jun, July WTC visits to a small number of towns
·         Aug-[pause]
·         Sept - Draft applications to funding trusts etc.
·         Sept - First report and presentation to the European Walled Towns symposium.
·         Oct - Report to Berwick-Upon-Tweed Heritage Days, which will include draft or even published Teachers’ Pack/App for their local walled town heritage with trial implementation at selected schools local in or close to a Walled Town.
(Future programme to be developed)
DMB/PO                                               30th October 2017




[1] In the light of expected BREXIT in 2019, we feel that an ‘all islands’ approach including both the UK and the Irish Republic is best as it will retain an overlap with both the European Union and the UK, which is very important to certain of the walled towns and important to all of them in these islands.
[2] https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/planning/local-heritage/heritage-champions/what-is-a-heritage-champion/ for details of this role and a wealth of advice on general heritage promotion.
[3] This phrase seems to be original but ‘inHeritage’ (sic) is used as the name of a heritage interpretation consultancy www.inheritage.co.uk and @inheritage.eu on Twitter. As a word OED lists ‘inheritage’ as a rare synonym for heritage and/or inheritance. An arcade game from Tinker games is called INheritage:BOE (sic), based on a music album of 2012

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