Official Report search · Parliament Workbench

Chamber

Plenary, 11 Nov 2009

11 Nov 2009 · S3 · Plenary

Item of business

Scotland's Historic Environment

Gillon, Karen Lab Clydesdale Watch on SPTV

All members will have great examples of the historic built environment and how it has influenced the community, culture and landscape of the areas that we represent, and I am no exception. The buildings of Clydesdale bear witness to the agricultural, mining and weaving traditions of the area. They tell the story from centuries past: of Lanark, where William Wallace met his love, Marian Braidfute; of Covington Mains, where Robert Burns drew inspiration for his work; and of New Lanark, the pioneering and indeed revolutionary village created by Robert Owen, which recognised that providing health care, education and housing for one's workers is more likely to result in a thriving business and a healthy and happy workforce.

There are the miners' welfare halls in villages such as Coalburn, built by the miners themselves to provide access to culture, learning and entertainment; the Leadhills library, with its collection of materials that truly tell the area's history; and the old auction ring in Lanark where, for centuries, farmers from throughout the county and beyond came to buy and sell their wares. Its role is now taken by a new building that in decades to come will tell future generations today's story.

There are churches such as that of St Athanasius, in Carluke, which sits alongside the old Scott's jam works and Ramsay's butcher's—names that are synonymous with Scottish quality produce past and present.

The minister mentioned war memorials—at the weekend, we will all have been at remembrance services throughout Scotland. The renewal of the war memorial in Stonehouse is an excellent example of what has been achieved through partnership. Similarly, I congratulate the Scottish Government on the role that it has played in supporting the Corn Exchange in Biggar.

Those are examples of our built heritage that challenge our understanding of the past and teach us lessons for the future. As the minister said, such buildings face genuine challenges, especially if they do not fall under the direct financial support of Historic Scotland or the National Trust for Scotland. The minister acknowledged that not all buildings can be saved and that some will need to go if others are to survive. That is a welcome and positive statement. The proposal to demolish St Mary's church hall in Lanark to secure the long-term future of the church itself and its attached buildings is a case in point. We must be more flexible in such cases, and we must also learn the lessons of the past. I welcome the minister's comments about the need to protect our current built environment for future generations at a much earlier stage so that we are not faced with derelict buildings that it is uneconomic to repair. We must make the necessary repairs much earlier.

We need to do more than just protect our historic built environment, though. We must celebrate and promote our built environment and our landscape environment much better than we do at the moment. New Lanark is more than just a local and national treasure; it is one of Scotland's five world heritage sites. New Lanark has that internationally recognised seal of approval for its combination of built, social, cultural and landscape environments. Anyone who visits the village cannot help but be struck by the dramatic realisation of Owen's vision. Walking up the Falls of Clyde, they see the beauty and power of our landscape not just harnessed for the mills of New Lanark but today driving the hydro power stations at Bonnington.

I very much welcome the Scottish 10 project. I understand that the images of New Lanark have been taken and I am sure that they will be stunning, dramatic and valuable for generations to come. It is important that we use those images to showcase the skills and talents that we have.

However, in Scotland, I do not think that we have quite got it right yet in the promotion of our world heritage sites. For example, the world heritage insignia are still not allowed to appear on road signage. Perhaps the minister will work with his colleagues in other departments to ensure that we make the most of those valuable insignia in promoting our assets. There are also other things that we need to do better, such as making the links. We still have not got it right in Clydesdale in making the link between New Lanark and Lanark, never mind the links between New Lanark and anywhere else.

If Lanarkshire is viewed in the context of its industrial heritage, with New Lanark at the core, links can be established with Summerlee in Coatbridge, the mining museum at Wanlockhead and other areas both significant and much smaller to give a great picture of our built environment. In south Wales, routes have been drawn up that take visitors around different parts of the built environment, with a world heritage site at the core that is linked to everything else that is part of that. We can do that in Scotland as well. Something similar can be done in the Borders, with its historic textile industry, and in the east neuk, with its historic fishing industry.

Search Hansard contributions

Plenary, 11 Nov 2009

In the same item of business