Paper short abstract:

An exploration of heritage sites near the south bank in Southwark, to exemplify the differences in treatment between national and local heritages. Issues to be covered will include who designates heritage, and the tensions between commercial and non-commercial heritage sites.

Paper long abstract:

The south bank area of Southwark contains a number of heritage sites: HMS Belfast, the Golden Hinde, Winchester Palace, the sites of the Globe and Rose Theatres, the modern Globe Theatre and less obvious heritage sites like the Clink Prison and a Victorian prostitutes' cemetery. The ownership of these sites and their designation as 'heritage' is very varied. The area exemplifies in microcosm the tensions involved in how we define and accept heritage, including issues of commercialism and democratisation.