A Defence of Heritage - Essay Example

? A DEFENCE OF HERITAGE Heritage maybe defined as practices that are handed down from the past by tradition. Heritage is very closely related to inheritance and so it may include inheritance of any attribute or immaterial possession that is inherited from ancestors. Conversely a property or estate may also be inherited, and even a title can be inherited: According to wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn. IMPORTANCE OF HERITAGE The whole world is divided into countries. People from all these countries and different ethnic backgrounds have their own story to tell. Everyone has their own past with them which plays a huge role in determining what they are today. Similarly just like the past of all these individuals every country has a past too. A country’s history starts getting written from the very day that it is created. Every decision that is taken after that becomes a part of the history of that country. This history after a few years becomes known as the heritage of that country. The heritage of a country automatically gets attached to its citizens or the people living in it. This Heritage is the representation of the people of their respective countries. Without heritage a country would be nothing but reduced to a mere name. It is this heritage that tells us about the ancestors of the people living in a country. It acts like a silent introduction of the nationals of that country. The heritage of a country determines its true standing in the world. Wherever people go or travel in the world, their names do not remain the true representatives of their identities but instead it’s their nationalities which become the true representative of the identity of individuals once they leave their country. These nationalities wouldn’t mean much if it wasn’t for the rich heritage of their respective countries attached to them. Every country irrespective of its size has a fascinating and rich heritage. The heritage of a country gives away enormous information about the kind of people living there. It is through heritage that countries are known throughout the world. Countries like Britain which have a very rich heritage are well known throughout the world and their citizens respected. Heritage shapes the image of a country and its popularity. Hence this lays even more importance on the fact of knowing about the heritage of their country by its citizens or nationals. It is through this knowledge that the citizens of a country can truly feel proud of their country and know of the achievements and potential of their people. Countries that do not honour or care about their heritage and do nothing to preserve it are lost in the pages of history and time just like they lost their heritage and did nothing to protect it: According to Alison Hems, Marion R.Blockley(2006). ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE A great way of letting people know about the heritage of a country is through tourism. There are many structures and vehicles etc which may be of great historic value and contribute tremendously to the heritage of a country. A country like Great Britain for example has many castles and ships which are of particular value and serve as great assets to the heritage of Britain. These structures or assets not only provide the richness of heritage to the country but they are also used as great tourist destinations or spots. This reaps tremendous benefits and advantages to Britain. Firstly, it attracts a large number of tourists every year which bring with them a lot of foreign exchange or currency into the country. Then this also acts as a great industry. The tourism industry provides a lot of jobs to the people of the country and serves as the livelihood or bread and butter of all these individuals and their families. Today when the economic situation is so bad everywhere around the world and there is a financial crunch, jobs are being cut and more and more people are getting unemployed all around the world, a country must stretch all its resources and options to provide employment and jobs to their people so that they can earn their livelihood and live a good normal life. This can only be achieved through a sound financial standing of a country. A step towards this can be by promoting heritage of the country through tourism. This not only provides employment through the tourism industry but the large amount of money that is pooled in can be used for the upkeep and maintenance of these heritage sites and also the development of more heritage sites for tourism. This can not only help to alleviate the financial burden related to these heritage sites from the government’s shoulders but also provide a lot of profit which is earned by the government and can be spent elsewhere for the welfare of the people of that state. In addition to all this another huge advantage which the country reaps is the spread of knowledge about the heritage of that country throughout the world, which helps in the formation of an impressive and even influential image of that country. And all this is achieved while making a lot of money at the same time. BRITAIN’S HERITAGE Great Britain was once the greatest superpower of the world. Its colonies were widespread and all ruled by British. All the colonies have now acquired independence and Britain has also lost that position of being the only great superpower of the world but still all these glorious years have brought with them a very rich heritage which Britain can be proud of. Britain has had great influence on the whole world because of its glorious past: According to www.HeritageofBritain.co.uk. Britain has many different heritage sites. All these sites allow a person to travel through time when he sees a structure from such distant past in such a good condition, he is forced to relive that glorious past in his imaginations and have nothing but admiration for the people who were a part of that heritage. It is very close to moving back in time for that. It’s a precious memory like no other and makes us wonder about the journey of man through time. This is the kind of experience an individual gets when he visits a heritage site such as a castle in Britain. Not only castles but churches also comprise a huge part of the heritage of Britain. This helps to give that religious depth to the heritage of Britain. Along with all these structures, the navy also has its contribution in the heritage of Britain. This is due to the fact that Britain was once the greatest naval strength in the world: According to Jack Simmons(1979). SS GREAT BRITAIN As Britain has been known over time for its great naval strength and superior navy, so naval vessels also form a great part of the heritage of Britain. One particular ship that leads the path here is the SS Great Britain. This ship at its time was a masterpiece created by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. He is known as Britain’s greatest engineer. It was the first of its kind ship. The SS Great Britain was made up of wrought iron and screw propelled. Both these technologies had never been combined before. It was launched in 1843 and was way ahead than all the other ships of the time. It was about 100 metres long and weighed 1930 tons. This ship marked a new era in Trans-Atlantic passenger travel and had the capacity to carry 252 passengers on board and also a crew of 130 people. But sadly its first few voyages were not successful as it failed to attract enough passengers and the company who made the ship was forced to sell it in 1846 as due to the huge construction costs of the ship they were already under a lot of financial burden and debt. But with a stroke of luck this ship wasn’t bad news at all for its new owners thank to the Australian gold rush. A few modifications were made in the ship and its passenger capacity was increased up to 750. At that time this ship was then used to transport the large amount of people immigrating to Australia. Over the next 24 years this ship was responsible for transporting almost 16000 people to Australia. During its time the SS Great Britain was known as one of the fastest and most elegant ship of its time. It was considered a luxurious travel in this ship. Hence it also earned itself a nickname, ‘The Greyhound of the seas’. But just as if this wasn’t enough the SS Great Britain in addition to being a civilian carrier ship got involved in the war and carrying troops too. During 1845-1846, the government chartered this remarkable ship to transport troops to and from the Crimean war. This ship was solely responsible for transporting about 44000 troops during this time of war. This was not the only war that the ship was involved in but later it was also used to carry troops during the Indian mutiny. In addition to its great part played in the wars, the SS Great Britain was also involved in sports. In 1861 this ship carried Britain’s cricket team over to Australia for a series of cricket matches. This turned out to be a very successful tour. To add more to the great and fascinating history of this ship, during one of its voyages to Australia, its captain came across the island of St.Martin which he claimed for the Empire or Britain. The name of the captain was Captain Grey. This ship marked the end of its great journey in the late 1870s when its engines were removed and the ship was used to transport coal to San Francisco. This was the ending time of the reign of this great ship and it was eventually sold as coal storage hulk in Port Stanley. By 1937 the ship’s hull was no longer watertight and the ship sank while it was being towed near Port Stanley. Realizing the importance and worth of this ship to Britain, various attempts were made to rescue this ship in the late 1930s and 1960s but they all failed. Finally in 1970 the British succeeded in salvaging the ship and towed it back across the Atlantic to Bristol in Britain. And then in the year 2005 the SS Great Britain was re-launched as one of the greatest maritime museums of all time. Hence this ship has been a great asset to the heritage of Britain. It has served Britain tremendously and even now when it is no longer able to make those long voyages it is serving as a museum and a heritage site for its mother country: According to http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/England-History/ssGreatBritain.htm, Royal Society Of Arts Great Britain(1970). CASTLE’S A part of Britain’s rich heritage is its castles. Britain has got a huge number of castles which give a very refreshing feel of the past times of kingship to the people visiting them. Many of these Castle’s have been transformed into hotels so that people visiting them can stay in these castle’s and truly feel the history attached to them and become a part of Britain’s heritage. Just to name a few of these Castle’s; Amberley castle and Thornbury castle are one of the breath-taking castle’s of Britain: According to A.L.Rowse(1995). CHURCHES Churches form another cornerstone of the rich heritage of Britain. These magnificent buildings are truly works of art. They tell us about the religious past of Britain and the influence that religion had on this great empire. Just to name a few here would be the magnificent cathedral in Canterbury. It is a breath taking structure and is the mother church of the Anglican community. Durham cathedral is also another world heritage site and shelters the body of St. Cuthbert. It has attracted pilgrims for over 900 years now. Similarly there are many old churches all over Britain which offer a great insight into the fascinating heritage of Britain: According to Michael Counsel(2003). LITERARY AND CULTURAL HERITAGE Britain also has a very rich cultural and literary heritage. William Shakespeare – a literature hero that needs no introduction. The city of Stratford in Britain is famous the world over for being the house of William Shakespeare. Tourists can visit Shakespeare’s home in Stratford which is preserved just as if it was stopped in time in the 16th century. William Shakespeare’s grave is situated in the Holy Trinity church in Stratford. Oxford is a city famous for its universities. Oxford harbors the great Bodleian library, which dates back to 1427. The Museum of Oxford and the Ashmolean museum are also great sites of Heritage in this city. The city of oxford wouldn’t be complete without a castle, and this is done by the oxford castle which can be visited and explored by visitors. The Norman Cathedral in Chester is another very fascinating cathedral. This cathedral is a must visit in Chester and is a part of the great heritage of Chester and Britain: According to Clive Fewins(2005) .The medieval streets of Chester are lined by distinctive black and white buildings and truly make the visitor step back in time and experience the past once again. ENCIRCLING CITY WALLS OF CHESTER Chester is another city of great importance in relation to heritage of Britain. This city’s ancient encircling walls are the most complete in Britain. As you walk around these walls, you come across the Victorian East gate Clock, which is the second most photographed clock in the world after Big Ben: According to John Julius Norwich(2002). Therefore it can be easily said in the end that Heritage of a country is equally as important as the future of a country. Our heritage tells us who we are and where we come from. It tells us about the achievements of our ancestors and to be proud of our country. And it is still the greatest way of telling the world about the history of your country and being recognized. REFERENCES Alison Hems, Marion R.Blockley(2006).USA and Canada.Routledge. A.L.Rowse.1995.Heritage of Britain.London.Cresecent Publishers. Clive Fewins.2005. The church explorer's handbook: a guide to looking at churches and their contents.London.Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd. Jack Simmons.1979.A selective guide to England.London.Bartholomew John Julius Norwich.2002.Treasures of Britain.London. W.W.Norton Michael Counsel.2003.Every pilgrim’s guide to England’s Holy places.London.Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd. Royal Society of Arts(Great Britain).1970.Journal of the Royal society Of Arts,volume119.California.George Bell. HUK.2011.Isambard Kingdom Brunnel’s SS Great Britain.http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/England-History/ssGreatBritain.htm[Accessed 9th January 2011] Unknown.2006.heritage of Britain.www.Heritageofbritain.co.uk[Accessed 9th January 2011] Wordnet.2011.heritage definition.wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn[Accessed 9th January 2011] Read More