Heritage is an exciting, important and sometimes challenging subject. It can make us feel connected. It can also make us feel uncomfortable. We need to understand our heritage to help us shape our society today and in the future.
Let’s start talking about heritage.
Why talk about heritage?
The best person to explain what Scotland’s heritage means to you is you.
Your heritage could be the places you care about - a music venue, local park, or famous ruin. It could also be the stories you love or the language you speak.
Speaking up can help you to protect your heritage. Or to share it with the world. These Talking About Heritage guides can get the conversation going. They can also help you get your voice heard.
How do the guides work?
You can open all the guides in order, or jump straight to the one that suits you. You can also download the guidance in full
Investigate heritage
Find out more about your heritage. Investigate the buildings and landscapes around you. Dig deeper into old photos and documents. Think about the stories, languages and traditions that matter to you.
Find out more
Understand heritage
What makes an object, building or tradition worth looking after? You can begin by thinking about the particular values that people place on it.
Find out more
Celebrate heritage
When more people learn about your heritage, they can help you to celebrate and protect it. Sharing knowledge adds to everyone’s understanding of our past.
Find out more
Care for heritage
We can all help to look after heritage. Find out what individuals, groups and public bodies can do, and how you can get involved.
Find out moreTalking About Heritage started with a conversation we had with the people of Scotland. We asked them, ‘What’s Your Heritage?’
People told us that heritage matters for all sorts of reasons. It reflects different viewpoints across cultures and generations. It inspires a range of emotions, positive and negative. It can help to us to feel connected to a community, to a place or to a shared past.
People told us they want to be able to explore their heritage, to understand it, to celebrate it, and to make sure it’s recognised.
If that’s what you want to do, Talking About Heritage can help.