IN the following excerpt, Jason Wood, a consultant who specialises in the conservation of sporting monuments, writes in British Archaeology about the work Historic England has been doing at Bootham Crescent and what the organisation hopes the legacy of both site and project will be.

The full article has been made freely available at new.archaeologyuk.org/news/bootham-crescent-sharing-memories-shaping-space.

 

HISTORIC England’s involvement at Bootham Crescent began at the start of the 2018/19 season, then scheduled as the last to be played at the old ground.

Delays with the new stadium, however, meant that Bootham Crescent continued to be used for another season and a half.

This had a knock-on effect of postponing the planning application for the site’s redevelopment and its sale to the York-based developer, Persimmon Homes.

Fortuitously, this extended period gave the Historic England project more time to work with the club and more opportunities to influence the redevelopment proposals as they emerged.

Our aim was to identify ways in which the physical fabric of Bootham Crescent, and crucially also the experience, sense of identity and memory expressed by the football community, could be used to shape, drive and improve the redevelopment.

Although the project related specifically to a football ground, the approach was seen as relevant and applicable to redevelopment at other sport and leisure venues.

An important result, therefore, would be a methodology and guidance for Historic England.

This would allow it to demonstrate how it can both embrace the public history and heritage of the recent past, and be prepared to be imaginative, collaborative and innovative in future projects nationally.