The moving images of Notre-Dame on fire have made us all appreciate the importance of buildings as symbols, of the cultural heritage in general, and of the vital need to protect that heritage. As the British Council pointed out, the UK can and should build on the work it does around the world to help protect artistic fabric of supreme importance to humanity.
President Macron has announced that the cathedral will be restored within five years, and hundreds of millions of euros have already been pledged by philanthropists and ordinary people from around the world.
The Cultural Protection Fund, administered by the British Council in partnership with the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport, seeks to use the skills the UK has to help preserve and restore buildings and artefacts threatened by destruction, war, and neglect, often in countries that do not have the resources needed to do it themselves. France has copied the same model and is able to draw upon a wealth of expertise both from within France and elsewhere. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has announced an international architecture competition to rebuild the spire.
Historic Houses has already announced that British oaks from some of the UK’s most famous estates could contribute towards the rebuilding of Notre Dame cathedral, following an offer from members of HH.
France will need an army of specialists to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral and the UK is on standby to send over architects and archaeologists, conservators and craftspeople. Historic England is among heritage bodies offering help, based on lessons learned from fires in UK historic buildings, including Windsor Castle, Clandon Park and York Minster.
Ian Morrison, Historic England’s Director of Policy and Evidence, was quoted by the Guardian saying: “We have direct experience of what to do in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. We have experts in remote survey, who can record and inspect high-level masonry. We have conservation engineers with decades of experience of analysing the movement and stability of historic buildings … wall-painting specialists, stained-glass specialists, experts who understand how to dry out saturated buildings. All the water that went into the Notre Dame fire will be a big issue …The French heritage sector has some of the best craftspeople in the world, as do we. Until they’ve assessed the damage properly, it’ll be difficult for them to come to any conclusions about the skills they require. We’re offering whatever’s needed.”