February 2020 has now been confirmed as the wettest month on record in Britain and many communities are still mopping up after the floods. Industrial heritage sites are just as vulnerable to heavy rains and flooding events as the communities within which they sit, especially those sites located in river valleys or on the coast.

Guidance and support around disaster management for heritage sites is available from a variety of sources in the UK including (but not exclusively): the national heritage bodies (CADW, Department for Communities Northern Ireland, Historic England, and Historic Environment Scotland); the Environment Agency; DEFRA; Association of British Insurers; Royal Institute of British Architects; the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings; and local authority conservation officers.

Of particular relevance, as we move from a wet winter into a wet spring, is Historic England’s guidance on ‘Flooding and Historic Buildings’, updated in 2015. This is available as a free-to-download document from the HE website and includes sections on: types of flooding; establishing the flood risk; preparing for flooding; dealing with a flood; and the aftermath of flooding.

Follow the link to the document on the HE website here:

https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/flooding-and-historic-buildings-2ednrev/