Our built heritage is steeped in culture - McCausland

Culture Minister Nelson McCausland, today visited one of the 266 buildings and events open this weekend for European Heritage Open Days.

This festival of culture and built heritage, which is organised by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), is designed to encourage people of all ages to discover Northern Ireland’s rich architecture, which is part of our wider European heritage.

Speaking at Holywood Non subscribing Presbyterian Church, Minister McCausland said: “European Heritage Open Days is a wonderful event which not only highlights the great breadth of our built heritage but also the cultures which produced them.

“It is important that we all get a chance to appreciate the range of buildings which our forebears produced and their links to the rest of Europe. We all stand to benefit from the unparalleled access provided by this event and its associated massive voluntary effort. I am glad to see that interest has increased every year since its introduction to Northern Ireland in 1997 and that 56,000 people participated last year. This reflects an increasing interest and appreciation of our cultural heritage across our community."

The Minister thanked officials in the Northern Ireland Environment Agency who organise this annual event and also praised the voluntary effort of owners and local groups who make this event possible.

He concluded: “This weekend of events relate to a lot more than just old buildings. Buildings are a tangible representation of our culture and of what our community is capable of producing. We should be all very proud of this legacy and allow it to inspire us to greater achievements in the future.”

Notes to the editor:

1. The First Presbyterian Non-Subscribing Church, 75 High Street, Holywood was designed by Sir Charles Lanyon and has been a listed building since 1975.
2. This year’s European Heritage Open Days (EHOD) will take place on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 September. There are over 260 events and properties for you to visit during the weekend and they are all free of charge!
3. Venues taking part in EHOD can be found at Northern Ireland Environment Agency website
4. Media enquiries should be addressed to the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure Press Office. Tel (028) 9051 5047 or email press.office@dcalni.gov.uk. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 07699 715440 and your call will be returned.