An institutionalised construction of the past in the UK

The management of 'heritage' in the UK is often assumed to be relatively problem-free, despite charges of elitism, and a preoccupation with the 'grand', the 'monumental' and the 'beautification' of the past. By contrast, this paper argues that the increasing intersection of local and personal perspectives with dominantly held" and institutionalised" views signals a challenge that is explicitly critical of the received understandings of the past enshrined in such a self-assured and self-referential management process. Mapping how the management process engages with" and to what extent it legitimises" these confrontations presents a significant opportunity. As such, this paper proposes to explore the growing complexity of issues surrounding the management of 'the past(s)' in the present. A useful tool to deploy in order to come to terms with this complexity is discourse analysis. Though discourse analysis, it is argued that the social significance of heritage places, landscapes and experiences is often overshadowed by a dominant discourse that focuses on materiality and 'national' importance. This privileges the 'inherent' value of sites, monuments and buildings, and renders local people passive subjects within the management process. The research presented here uses the Cawood castle Garth Group as an illustration of the ways in which people construct meaning and a sense of place. While the Garth itself is recognised and managed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, little allowance is made for the expression of local significance and the interaction required in the construction and maintenance of identity. As such, this paper attempts to draw attention to an important layer of understanding, through which the Cawood Castle Garth can be seen to play a pivotal role in the community's construction of meaning and place.