ABSTRACT
AS WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN, although institutional religion appears to be in long-term decline, people of all ages tend to value what one might call ‘heritage’. In 2013/14, 53,965 undergraduates were studying history at university. This is only one measure of an interest in the past and arguably heritage is inflected by, but different from history. It is more tangible. It relates to the everyday. It is different for everyone, but at its simplest it represents what people find most valuable and worth preserving in a culture which has been handed down to them by previous generations who have been living here in Britain. It is clearly focused on a past of which people approve for various reasons, but it consists of many narratives. The term ‘heritage’ thus suggests not all of history but that which has meaning for individuals in the present; it is therefore largely shaped by contemporary concerns.
