Grave-stone, Southampton Old Cemetery, photo: Tom Goskar

Our Sacred Landscapes was an evening discussion event organised by ICOMOS-UK, the first in a new series called Conversations. It took place on 23 April 2008 at the School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University.

The panel of three speakers, Harbinder Singh (Anglo-Sikh Heritage Trail), Elizabeth Perkins (Birmingham Conservation Trust) and Dr Richard Gale (University of Birmingham) spoke on various themes relating to where religious heritage can be found in our built landscapes and there was a particular focus on Birmingham. This was followed by conversation between the panel and the audience and addressed themes such as:

• How do sacred acts and religious beliefs impact on our built heritage?
• Where can we find the buildings and landscapes, big and small, of Britain’s diverse religious cultures?

Read the Review of Our Sacred Landscapes

The event formed the UK contribution to International Sites and Monuments Day 2008, on the theme ‘Religious Heritage and Sacred Places’.

Conversations is a new series of events which explores different aspects of how past and present cultural activities influence and change our historic surroundings. The events aim to reveal the importance of the interactions between tangible and intangible heritage and the next event is planned on the theme of Sporting Heritage in the Landscape, followed by another on the relationship between music and poetry and place.