As conservation and investigative practices often involve a physical intervention, there are potential implications for present and future access, appearance, experience of place, and practices. The process and the new knowledge that result can also impact on social values – changing the context. These are some of the opportunities and questions raised in incorporating social values into this area of practice.

Understanding the communities and social values associated with a site can help avoid tensions and provide opportunities for engagement.

  • Sites with formal heritage status are regularly monitored for potential conservation issues, providing a potential opportunity for staff to connect with communities.
  • Physical changes to a monument can be sudden, but in many cases they are more gradual, meaning there is time for discussion (among practitioners and with communities) about potential action.
  • Where community practices are considered detrimental to the built heritage, archaeology or landscape, understanding the social values that are being enacted can help in negotiating solutions (this may need to be in conjunction with other community partners and initiatives).

There is also the potential for communities to be involved. For example:

Questions:

  • What resources or changes in practice would be needed to incorporate community engagement into day-to-day processes?
  • How can community expertise be brought into discussions?
  • Where there are lots of sites (and lots of potential) but scarce resources, how to target?
  • What would a proportionate response be given the potential impact of the planned intervention on people’s lives?

In the Caterthuns case study, the removal of stones from the monument to construct cairns (connected in some cases with memorial activities) was being monitored as a conservation concern, as it is damaging to the archaeology and scientific values of the site. However, these practices identified an aspect of significance that was further expanded on by respondents during the assessment. Such actions have their own histories and may be seen by participants as contributing to, rather than detracting from, the site’s significance.

The Case of Hilton of Cadboll concerns a carved stone cross-slab. The upper part (removed in the mid-19th century) is now on display in the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, and the lower part, which was excavated in 2001, is displayed in a community hall near to the village of Hilton of Cadboll in Easter Ross.

The research report by Jones (accessible here) describes how the cross-slab and a replica erected at the excavation site are significant in the production of meaning, value and place.