The benefits of becoming a status symbol

The Antonine Wall has now joined the World Heritage premier league. Martyn McLaughlin predicts a tourism boost

IT IS an accolade which places an ancient Scottish ruin in an élite group whose members include the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China and the Pyramids of Giza.

This week, the Antonine Wall officially became one of Britain's most prestigious and sacred attractions when it was granted World Heritage Site (WHS) status by the United Nations cultural body, Unesco.

The decision to bestow the rare title on what once formed the north-west frontier of the Roman Empire marks a successful end to a five-year campaign and has been hailed as a monumental recognition of Scotland's heritage.

Erected almost 2,000 years ago, the barrier runs for some 39 miles, stretching from Bo'ness in West Lothian to Old Kilpatrick in West Dunbartonshire. Although much of it was destroyed over time, sections of the fortification can still be seen at several points.

It is hoped that its newly elevated status will bring about a renaissance in visitor numbers to stretches of Scotland hitherto unknown to international tourists.

Linda Fabiani, the culture minister, said the move by Unesco "reinforces the wall's international status", while Des Browne, the Secretary of State for Scotland, said it "helps to secure our place as a world-renowned cultural destination".

But can a mere label – albeit one bestowed by an impressive organisation and shared by grand company – really have any practical impact?

Unesco's pedigree is unquestionable. Its belief in international co-operation regarding ancient, special sites is more than a half-century old. It was the body that orchestrated the successful 1957 resiting of the Egyptian temples of Abu Simbel, a feat of archaeological engineering which brought together about 50 nations and cost £20 million.

The WHS initiative itself is more than three decades old, having been ratified in 1972 to protect those cultural and natural sites considered to be of "outstanding universal value". The establishment of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) comprised a rotating group of 15 nations – the number has now swollen to 21 – and a World Heritage Fund (WHF) which, from its headquarters in Paris, is designed to provide loans and technical assistance.

In practice, however, the scheme has not always matched the grand theory.

In terms of material benefits alone, then, the conferral of the WHS tag upon a property or destination might be seen as no more than an honorific title. Unesco provides little in the way of technical assistance to successful nominees.

Financially, too, it is constrained. With a portfolio of more than 800 registered sites, the organisation has an annual budget of barely £2 million – the equivalent of just £2,300 for every WHS.

Unesco itself is aware of the limits of the fund – comprising compulsory contributions from WHC state members and voluntary additions – describing its budget as a "modest sum, considering the magnitude of world heritage needs".

The Antonine Wall will therefore have to rely instead on hand-outs from other heritage and archaeological bodies, which, it is hoped, will be impressed by its new position as the fifth WHS site in Scotland.

Yet what WHS status may lack in terms of direct financial assistance, the organisation argues, is amply compensated by the prestige of the title.

Though money may not come directly from Unesco, newly listed sites find recognition of their standing attracts tourists.

There are no solid figures proving an upturn in visitors as a consequence of WHS status – nor, indeed, any tourist numbers for the Antonine Wall in any case – the circumstantial evidence is strong, with attractions across the world claiming increased footfall as a result.

That is a possibility which is exciting those who fought for the Antonine Wall to be designated a WHS. As Margaret Hodge, the minister for culture, creative industries and tourism, said yesterday, Britain's natural and man-made sites of heritage are "the number-one reason overseas visitors cite for coming here".

Falkirk Council has reason to be cheerful. Some of the best preserved remains of the wall run across its territory, from Roughcastle, near Bonnybridge, in the west, to Kinneil at Bo'ness in the east.

Adrian Mahoney, the council's convener of environment and heritage, said the WHS status would bring the eyes – and wallets – of the world to central Scotland.

"Gaining WHS status is a major achievement and focuses international attention on our area," he said. "There's no doubt the recognition will attract more tourists to the area, keen to find out more about our Roman history, which can only help our local economy, particularly hotels, restaurants and tourist facilities.

"We only have to see how Hadrian's Wall has helped to boost the profile and fortunes of northern England," said Mr Mahoney. "Hopefully, the Antonine Wall will do the same for central Scotland."

The wall's best locations have already been made accessible – sites at Falkirk, Kirkintilloch and Bearsden are signposted and open to public viewing – although it is not possible to walk its entire length, given that parts are based in farmland, or seemingly disappear into industrial areas.

Ultimately, preservation of the wall is paramount, with Unesco carrying out regular inspections of WHS every six years. The official inquiry ordered this week into Edinburgh's WHS, amid concerns surrounding development in the Old Town, shows that conservation is at the top of the organisation's list of priorities.

WHS does not alter the legal status of the Antonine Wall. The remains of the frontier are already protected through the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 and the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, while the buffer zone is already designated as green belt or countryside land.

It does not mean no development can take place near the wall, but any which does must take account of its importance.

Bodies involved with the wall want to start improving access and educational facilities, but this is at an early stage.

Doreen Grove, Historic Scotland's head of understanding and access, said: "Historic Scotland, the five local authorities and major landowners along the wall work together as a group to address the access and interpretation of the wall.

"We are currently looking at the best ways to improve the presentation of information about the wall, on and off site, as well as developing proposals for improving access and parking."

Preserving Scotland's historic sites

ST KILDA

St Kilda is a group of five remote islands, Hirta, Soay, Boreray, Dun and Levenisha, in the North Atlantic 100 miles off the west coast.

The islands were permanently inhabited for at least two millennia, but were evacuated in 1930. The only residents now are military personnel.

They were inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1986 for their natural heritage. In 2004, this was extended to include its surrounding marine environment and the following year, after a successful re-nomination bid relating to importance as a cultural landscape, St Kilda became one of the few World Heritage Sites to hold dual status for its natural and cultural qualities.

EDINBURGH OLD AND NEW TOWNS

The Old and New Towns of the capital were inscribed as a cultural World Heritage Site in 1995 in recognition of the character of the medieval Old Town and the Georgian planned New Town. It covers both the Old and New Towns together with ancient milling settlements on the Water of Leith. Key features include landscape, urban form and architecture, and history and heritage.

However, Unesco is said to be concerned about the potential impact and handling by the Scottish Government of Caltongate, a sprawling new development in the Old Town, which was approved despite about 1,800 objections.

A team of Unesco inspectors will visit Edinburgh later this year to assess the site's "state of conservation".

NEW LANARK

New Lanark is an 18th-century restored cotton mill village on the banks of the River Clyde, and was inscribed as a cultural World Heritage Site in 2001. It was created as a cotton-spinning village in the late 18th to early 19th century and was transformed under the management of Robert Owen.

THE HEART OF NEOLITHIC ORKNEY

The Heart of Neolithic Orkney was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1999. The site is composed of the chambered tomb of Maeshowe, the Stones of Stenness, the Barnhouse Stone, the Watchstone, the Ring of Brodgar and associated funerary monuments and stone settings, and the Skara Brae settlement.