Rethink Heritage

Edinburgh World Heritage Trust is a charitable organisation based in Edinburgh, Scorland. Its main role is to conserve, enhance and promote the city's World Heritage Site which was designated as 'Old and New Towns of Edinburgh' in 1995. The individual body of the trust was created from the donations of Historic Scotland and the City of Edinburgh. The institution has two predecessors: the Edinburgh New Town Conservation Committee had been functioning since 1971, providing maintenance grants for the home owners in the Georgian New Town, while in the Old Town the Edinburgh Old Town Committee for Conservation and Renewal (later the Edinburgh Old Town Renewal Trust) had been operating since 1985. These two bodies were joined together finally in 1999 and the new trust was established.

The situation in the Old and New Towns part of the later World Heritage Site was different in the 60s and 70s of the past century. In the New Town many historic buildings were in such a bad condition that their demolition would have been required if there was no quick intervention to save them. The main promoter of the idea of a great restoration project was a modernist architect, Sir Robert Matthew. As a result of these efforts a great number of volunteers, architects, surveyors started working on the solutions by assembling action plans and calculating the exact extent of the required works and from 1971 on the Edinburgh New Town Conservation Committee started issuing grants for the owners of these homes. In the Old Town besides similar problems and situations, the main challenge was to tackle the gradual depopulation of the area, both socially and economically. 

Since the start of the two committees over 1,500 projects have been financed through the grant system of the predecessors and later by EWH itself. These projects were of different scale but all contributed to the improved streetscape and the livability of the WHS, but many of them have important symbolic value too, like those included in the Twelve Monuments projects, which restored important landscape statues and monuments such as the National Monument and the Burns Monument on Calton Hill, the Melville Monument at Charlotte Square or the equestrian statue of King Charles II in Parliament Square. Further important projects of EWH include the revitalisation of some neglected streets as part of the Twelve Closes project, the restoration of Jacob's Ladder which is a step on Canongate, the conservation projects of some graveyards and different tenements (at the Canongate, Gilmour's Close), the restoration of the Acheson House, current seat of the trust, the revitalisation of St Mary's Cathedral's garden and a similar initiative at the Greyfriars Kirkyard project. 

Conservation Funding Programme

The Conservation Funding Programme is the key for keeping the World Heritage Area of Edinburgh in its authentic form, not allowing the buildings' state to utterly deteriorate and retain the integrity of the historic city. The grant was set up by Historic Environment Scotland for helping the home owners and companies in the area to help properly take care of their properties and deliver the required maintenance works on time. The following types of conservation works can be funded from the grant:

• paint removal, repair and repointing of the stonework;
• repairs of the roof including the leadwork, the slatework, the joinery and masonry work of the chimneys;
• lime pointing, line wash and harling
• restoration of missing architectural details
• repair of windows including reinstatement of original pattern (layout)
• repair of stairs and railings

There is also a special focus on the reinstatement of traditional style shop fronts, which have been important characteristics to Edinburgh since the Victorian times. The funding programme aims at revitalising these neglected architectural details, giving the streets a unified, still a varied character. In the case of public spaces mainly statues, monuments, burial grounds, boundary walls, historic green spaces and historic lighting schemes are funded. 

Private and commercial owners can claim up to 70% of the eligible works, while institutional or charitable owners are usually funded by 20% to 40% of the eligible works. The grant can be either repayable, non-repayable or the combination of the two. The non-repayable grant only needs to be paid back if the property is sold or transferred within 2 years after the completion of the project and the applicable amount is maximum 50,000 pounds. In case it is a repayable grant, it has to be only paid back in an interest-free form whenever the private owner sells or transfers the property. If it is a commercial property, it has to be repaid only after 10 years (and naturally anytime if the property is later sold or transferred). 

The Trust not only issues the grants, but it is there from the beginning of the processes till the end, providing advice, professional help and guidance materials for all types of works. Both the application and the final report on the delivered conservation works require a proper assessment which is delivered by the colleagues of EWH and the involved building surveyors and conservation architects. 

Climate Emergency Grant

By globally identifying climate change as one of the greatest threats of our lives which can radically shape our future, a special type of grant was initiated by EWH to start tackling these kinds of challenges as soon as possible. As a first step a Climate Emergency Strategy and a Manifesto was assembled in 2020, the main goal of which is to collect and define best practices. The strategy's two important focus points are the steps towards a net-zero operation through less and less carbon emission every year and the increase of resilience against the possible impacts of the changes. Link to the 10-point manifesto: 

Similarly to the general Conservation Funding Programme, the grant supports developments and maintenance works within the World Heritage Site and its adjoining areas. The main area of improvements are the energy efficiency improvements of doors and windows which need to be exchanged to versions with a historic look and with better thermal performance at the same time. Another important topic is the improvements of the rainwater goods, which can handle a larger volume of rainwater, thus preventing the inside and the facades from the damage made by water. The funds are non-repayable and capped at 25,000 pounds, with 100% funding in the project design phase and 70% for the eligible works.

Further activities

Besides the stimulation and coordination of the historic building and climate grants, EWH is responsible for a series of other important actions in Edinburgh. Its further key roles are to develop and maintain an Action Plan for the promotion and enhancement of the character of the Site, to advise Scottish Ministers and the local authority on development issues, to monitor the Site on behalf of the Scottish Ministers and to promote the Site through education, conferences and exhibitions. Additionally, EWH delivers a lot of different projects locally and internationally which help to promote traditional building trades with great interest in keeping them alive, also it organises different heritage trails for members and visitors to get known the city significantly more by entering some alternative pathways too besides the main attractions. Finally, as a charity EWH naturally collects donations too for the functioning of the institution and for the realisation of the grant and other programs.

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