Ulster Architectural Heritage (UAH) works to promote the historic environment, its protection, conservation and heritage-led regeneration for people and communities.
PROMOTION – PROTECTION – CONSERVATION – REGENERATION
UAH works in various ways to achieve our aims to promote the historic built environment, its protection, conservation and regeneration. This includes advice and support, advocacy, publications, events, and projects as detailed below.
Since its formation in 1967, the UAH has established itself as the lead independent voice for the historic built environment across the nine counties of Ulster, a fearless campaigner for historic buildings, a generous resource of information on local architecture and a source of advice on conservation. We have had much success in influencing public opinion in favour of conservation of our historic built environment. UAH campaigned successfully for the establishment of an Historic Buildings Council, statutory listing, historic buildings grants and conservation areas. We continue to monitor and make representations relating to planning and policy, and educate and inform through our events, publications and projects.
Advice & Guidance:
Ulster Architectural Heritage freely provides independent baseline advice and guidance on issues relating to the historic built environment in Northern Ireland and across the 9 counties of Ulster. UAH provides an average of over 500 independent contacts per annum. Advice and guidance can range from planning and policy matters to conservation advice. If you have a query, you might find useful information in our Advice & Guidance section or contact us if you require further assistance.
Advocacy:
Whether buildings are grand or vernacular, listed or unlisted, UAHS seeks to support the laws and policies that exist to protect them and their settings, and to encourage measures that will reduce future loss of our irreplaceable historic buildings through encouraging appropriate and sympathetic planning decisions, and re-use through heritage led regeneration. Ulster Architectural Heritage works to promote the protection of the historic built environment- recognition of its fragility, and ways in which historic buildings might be better protected. If you are concerned about the protection of an historic building, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Publications:
Publications by Ulster Architectural Heritage have appeared steadily since 1968. With over 50 books published to date. UAHS publications are used by academics, historians, architects and planners, and are widely collected as an invaluable resource on local history and buildings past and present. Our publications range from general books on local architecture to monographs on particular architects or houses. At the core are the historical gazetteers that describe nearly every building in many of Ulster’s towns with detailed descriptions and histories illuminated by anecdotes and numerous photographs. Other series focus on the architects of Ulster or a particular time period in Ulster’s architectural history. Ulster Architectural Heritage publications are available to purchase directly from UAH online, and are also available in good bookshops.
Events:
Events by Ulster Architectural Heritage aim to engage audiences with the historic build environment, its protection, conservation and regeneration. From ‘behind the scenes’ visits, to lectures, tours and trips, we run an annual programme of events. Whether you would like to grow your interest in built heritage, or develop your knowledge further, UAH events cater for a variety of interests in our annual programme, which usually amounts to over 20 events a year. Find out more about upcoming events here.
Projects:
Since 1993, the UAH in partnership with the Historic Environment Division at Department for Communities (formerly Department of the Environment) has produced the Built Heritage at Risk Northern Ireland Register, (BHARNI). As part of this project, UAH surveys, records and monitors the status of over 500 buildings at risk in Northern Ireland. The primary aims of the BHARNI project are to highlight the vulnerability of our built heritage, to identify historically important buildings which appear to be at risk; and to act as a catalyst for their re-use. As part of this project, Ulster Architectural Heritage has developed the Directory of Traditional Building Skills. Click here to find out more about the BHARNI Project, and search the BHARNI register.
From 2017 UAH has managed and delivered the Heritage Angel Awards NI supported by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation (ALWF). The awards are aimed to acknowledge and profile the achievement of people-individuals, groups and communities in their projects and best practice to conserve, record, protect and celebrate heritage in Northern Ireland. Through the awards we are able to highlight the importance of heritage projects and work of the heritage sector to wider society, showcasing best conservation practice and construction in heritage work and skills. Overall the awards aim to recognise and profile achievement, to inspire and increase activity to help conserve and protect built heritage. The Awards also take place in England, Scotland and Wales. Heritage Angel Awards is delivered in partnership with the Department for Communities – Historic Environment Division, Heritage Lottery Fund, Construction Industry Training Board NI, Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork, and the Heritage Trust Network.
