Heritage Places
We were appointed as lead consultants for the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Heritage Places* designation, working in close collaboration with Arris Heritage Consulting. This project required extensive engagement across one of Northern Ireland’s largest boroughs - an area where nearly half of all residents live in rural settings and where heritage is felt as much in the landscape as in the built environment.
Stakeholder meeting as part of Heritage Places.
Recognising the scale and complexity of the task, we designed an engagement approach that was both robust and imaginative. Alongside stakeholder meetings and themed workshops, we developed playful and accessible tools that encouraged people of all ages to share their connections to place. One of these was a brief for a mini mobile museum, beautifully brought to life by designer Jonathan H. S. Ross. Another was a bespoke origami fortune teller, created as an intergenerational interview tool for schools, helping younger participants spark conversations with peers, parents, and grandparents about memory, identity, and local heritage.
Mobile museum and engagement cart designed by Jonathan H.S. Ross for Heritage Places.
Pop-up sessions embraced the breadth of life across the borough. Spending a morning at the Farmers’ Mart offered insights from those who work the land, revealing priorities around stewardship, continuity, and the realities of rural life. Conversations in Armagh City brought different perspectives, highlighting urban heritage, cultural identity, and the role of public spaces. Each location added a vital piece to the wider picture.
Workshopping as part of Heritage Places.
Workshops invited participants to imagine what a thriving heritage place might look like 10 years from now. Through guided prompts and mapping exercises, people identified urgent priorities for safeguarding what matters most: biodiversity, place names, built heritage, archives and stories of place, intergenerational connection, and community alongside the myriad of existing heritage assets. More than 7000 people took part in this phase of engagement and the council continue to invite comment and feedback from people across the borough.
Creative engagement techniques as part of Heritage Places.
Group ideas session.
Alongside distilling these varied contributions, we investigated related policies and strategies; identified internal and external challenges and opportunities; and took part in study trips to other parts of the Ireland. The culmination of this research formed the foundation of a new heritage strategy for ABC, shaping a shared understanding of the borough’s heritage and the support needed to nurture it. ABC Council continue to work closely with stakeholders to ensure that the actions identified are reflective of evolving needs.
*Heritage Places is a long term, strategic investment by National Lottery heritage Fund
Client: Armagh City Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council
Team: Amberlea Neely, Delia Graham, Adam Graham
Photos: Amberlea Neely