Arts-Isabelle's recognising preservation

RECOGNISING THE VALUE OF PRESERVATION

by Isabelle Ramos

The warmth of the sun proved a hapless match for the fury of wind that day. My ears were frozen. Numb, crimson and deaf to a wonderful piece of technology rendered useless by the chill as it narrated the mystery of what lay before me – a bunch of giant, lichen-infested prehistoric rocks. But I endured the biting cold, as did everyone else that flocked to the site. And they come everyday, for decades now, in droves, just to behold an aged stone formation believed to have been used to monitor the changing of the seasons.

Stonehenge, like countless other monuments and building sites all over the UK, have the same lure on people from all across the globe. For a region that’s practically as old as time, conservation has made it possible to keep them in existence for public appreciation for generation after generation. The great lengths taken to care for such cultural antiquities are visible everywhere you go in Britain. London, the most cosmopolitan city, is home to a myriad of such relics. From St. Paul’s Cathedral to the West End theaters from London Bridge to the apartment blocks that line the city streets, it’s difficult to ignore the history she has lived through, bestowing on her a patina of grandeur.

The same guardianship is received all over the Kingdom. Thanks to the National Trust and other various conservation organizations, enchanting castles and once-formidable fortresses still dot the cities and countryside echoing the splendors of centuries past. Today, it’s possible to gain entry into a good fraction of them, as well as the homes of luminaries that have shaped Britain into what she presently is. All over, museums house every single artifact unearthed by antiquarians, each object of significance is greatly looked after.

		It’s amazing how even pop culture is held in high regard. Take a trip down to Liverpool and it’s as though the Beatles are just as alive today as they were in their heyday almost fifty years ago. Scattered around their hometown are endless reminders of the iconic mop tops’ legacy – a museum, walls of fame, statues, tours, their haunts and homes, a yellow submarine, a themed hotel, even the city’s airport was named after the late John Lennon. Who would’ve thought that four young lads could ever effect such devotion?

Dedication on such a degree is a rare venture. But not in the UK. Here, even the most infamous get their fare share of attention long after their demise, as with the case of Jack the Ripper. Up there with the world’s most notorious serial murderers, he continues to intrigue the world so much so that a walking tour of the sites of his unlawfulness was deemed a spectacular idea. And it was, where every night it is successfully attended by over a hundred mystified punters who join in to retrace his deathly route to satiate a morbid curiosity.

How almost nothing of historical, architectural, and cultural significance is left to fade into the abyss of memories even after a two world wars, a great fire, eras of conflict and other natural calamities is tremendously astounding. Though many of the original structures and articles failed to survive, reconstructions have been essential in aiding their preservation. The result of course is nothing less than what we have today – a nation that stands proud of its heritage despite the many atrocities associated with her history.

Britain’s initiatives to preserve this wealth go beyond the traditional strategies of research and restoration. Non-profit organizations such as the British Council endeavor to take things a step further by sharing their creativity and expertise with the international community to increase appreciation of their efforts. Back at home, in a land where the Spanish and American vestiges of our bygone days are few and far between, the value of such treasures has gone almost unappreciated and prone to neglect. It’s even more enraging to know that in time, some of what remains await the impending juggernaut of a wrecking ball manned by unscrupulous politicians uncaring and oblivious to their worth. Awareness is key. Thanks to the British Council, I have taken away much from my trips to the UK, advocating the cause in any possible way. But as I read about the next one targeted to come down, I can only hope that the heathen powers that be come to their senses so that the leftovers may live to see as many moons as the magnificent Stonehenge has.

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Isabelle is the marketing manager of NU 107 the premiere rock station in the Philippines. She is the creative force behind the much awaited NU rock awards and has been to the UK several times as witness to the UK’s unique creativity and innovation through such events like the Glastonbury Festival and The Selector radio programme