IHBC’s newest Guidance Note (GN), entitled ‘Historic Cemetery Monuments Testing and the new British Standard’ (GN2016/4) has been published on the IHBC’s Toolbox.
Bob Kindred, IHBC Research co-ordinator and author of this Guidance Note, said: ‘This is a short interim guidance note aimed at those who have responsibility for heritage advice regarding historic cemeteries and burial grounds and who have an input into the appropriate management of the memorials and monuments and/or liaison with cemetery managers. The issue of the impact of monument safety continues to be raised by IHBC members and the note is intended to raise awareness of the forthcoming revision to the relevant British Standard, which it is hoped will address those concerns.’
IHBC Director Seán O’Reilly said: ‘IHBC Research Notes are produced as part of an integrated programme of online support for conservation practitioners, the IHBC’s ‘Toolbox’
The Toolbox is being developed to help inform, advise and guide anyone with specialist interests in built and historic environment conservation. Already it offers a wide range of basic resources – the ‘tools’ in the toolbox – from primary research and guidance produced by or on behalf of the IHBC, to technical, academic and practice advice supported or endorsed by the institute.’
The Executive Summary of the Guidance Note states:
- The principal purpose of this briefing note is to draw attention to the intended update of the British Standard BS 8415: ’Monuments within burial grounds and memorial sites —Specification’ and potential implications for current practice.
- The Institute has been made aware of concerns from some of its local authority members regarding the continuing testing of monuments in registered historic cemeteries and burial grounds, irrespective of whether those commemorative structures are individually listed or not, and the potential visual impact on the landscape character of those sites.
- While IHBC members are not usually directly involved in discussions about monument safety, they need to be sufficiently conversant with the broad issues to ensure that those tasked with such testing (as a precursor to any safety or remedial works) are also fully informed regarding the interaction of heritage and other regulatory regimes.
See the Guidance Note
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