UK Literary Heritage Sites and Covid-19: measuring impact, enhancing resilience, and learning lessons.
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Huddersfield
Department Name: School of Arts and Humanities
Abstract
Across the UK there are around 70 museums in writers' homes and birthplaces open to the public. Some are world famous, attracting big annual footfall; some are run on a shoestring by small groups of volunteers. All will have been profoundly impacted by Covid-19, in ways unique to the sector. Most will have tried to develop new ways of engaging with the public during lockdown and the subsequent restrictions. The impact of the pandemic and the responses to it remain unknown, unquantified, and unanalysed.
The UK's literary heritage sites include museums dedicated to globally renowned household names such as Shakespeare, Dickens, Austen, and Burns, as well as to underappreciated national treasures such as Laurence Sterne, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Horace Walpole. The challenges faced by the literary heritage sector during Covid-19 are different from those faced by other museums, stately homes, and heritage sites, and there is reason to believe that the sector has been hit particularly badly by Covid-19 issues, with several key sites ineligible for or unsuccessful in securing financial support from government.
Above all, the study will seek to identify and quantify the challenges posed to UK literary heritage sites by Covid-19, to evaluate and compare responses between sites, and to help this world-class sector develop its future resilience.
The UK's literary heritage sites include museums dedicated to globally renowned household names such as Shakespeare, Dickens, Austen, and Burns, as well as to underappreciated national treasures such as Laurence Sterne, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Horace Walpole. The challenges faced by the literary heritage sector during Covid-19 are different from those faced by other museums, stately homes, and heritage sites, and there is reason to believe that the sector has been hit particularly badly by Covid-19 issues, with several key sites ineligible for or unsuccessful in securing financial support from government.
Above all, the study will seek to identify and quantify the challenges posed to UK literary heritage sites by Covid-19, to evaluate and compare responses between sites, and to help this world-class sector develop its future resilience.
Organisations
Publications
Alam MS
(2022)
Repurposing of existing antibiotics for the treatment of diabetes mellitus.
in In silico pharmacology
| Description | These are interim findings as the project is still ongoing, but so far the following patterns appear to be emerging from data gathered: 1) Most of the professionals (curators, managers, directors, etc) interviewed regard the Covid pandemic as a salutary opportunity to trial new ways of working, and found the flexibility, adaptability, and resilience of the sector to be grounds for optimism going forward. 2) Many of the literary heritage sites interviewed turned to outdoor spaces, and made innovative use of their gardens/grounds/surrounding landscapes. 3) Perhaps surprisingly, the turn to digital platforms was only part of the story; many literary heritage sites overhauled their approach to analogue displays and interpretation as thoroughly as they did their digital offer. |
| Exploitation Route | We will comment further on this when the final report is published. |
| Sectors | Creative Economy,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Description | The study's role as a conduit for sharing good practice across the sector is paying dividends. Its findings have been discussed and/or used by some of the most prominent literary heritage sites in the UK, including Shakespeare's Birthplace Trust, Seamus Heaney HomePlace, Thomas Hardy's Cottage, Penshurst Place, Shandy Hall, and others. Findings have also been circulated for discussion with the National Trust - the largest stakeholder in the sector. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
| Sector | Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural |
| Description | Executive summary |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Description | British Academy Innovation Fellowship |
| Amount | £98,789 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | IF/220017 |
| Organisation | The British Academy |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2022 |
| End | 03/2023 |
| Description | LitHouses conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | A draft executive summary of the study's main findings was circulated for discussion and for use by participants and stakeholders. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | LitHouses meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This is the annual meeting of the umbrella organisation to which most of the principal Writer's House Museums of Britain belong. David Rudrum attended it and discussed work in progress with curators, managers, directors, and conservation professionals from across the sector. It was an excellent opportunity for knowledge exchange, with some of the preliminary findings being discussed informally with a range of stakeholders from inside the industry. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |