New research from the University of Manchester indcates that canals in Britain and Ireland can cool city neighbourhoods for up to 50 metres from their banks, helping to combat urban heating, especially during heatwaves. The study found that canals cool their immediate surroundings during the day, typically extending 20–50 metres from the canal banks. Researchers…
Category: climate change
Historic England Update Advice on Managing Overheating in Historic Buildings – Including Industrial Structures
Historic England have released updated advice regarding minimising, mitigating, and managing overheating in historic buildings. Most of the existing UK building stock has been adapted for cold weather by keeping the heat in, and that includes historic buildings and industrial structures. As climate change impacts intensify, with hotter summers and frequent heatwaves, there is a growing…
Knepp Accord: A Call to Action to Unite History and Nature for a Climate Resilient Future
Knepp Accord: A call to action to unite history and nature for a climate resilient future
Historic England Report on Architectural Measures to Reduce Overheating Within Historic Buildings
Historic England launched in March 2026 a study of passive architectural measures to reduce overheating in historic buildings. They comissioned the Thread consultancy to research how England’s historic buildings can be adapted to the changing climate. The research investigated how passive architectural measures, such as awnings or shutters, have been used in the past to…
New Resource Hub for Sharing Climate Guidance with Heritage Organisations
New Resource Hub for sharing climate guidance with heritage organisations
Canal & River Trust Recieves Extra Funding for Canal Repairs
With the British canal system facing pressures from extreme weather and rising maintenance costs, the UK Government has announced that it is providing an addtional £6.5 million in funding for the Canal and River Trust (CRT), who care for the majority of the canals and river navigations in England and Wales. This in addition to…
2025 Spring Drought & Heat Waves Impacting Opening of Industrial Heritage Sites
The spring and early summer heatwaves in the UK, combined with an exceptionally dry spring (leading in some areas of England to drought conditions), have had a noticeable impact on industrial heritage sites, with temporary closures and changes to ways of working. In England, the Canal and River Trust have closed parts of the Leeds…
Carbon Literacy for Musuems Course
Museum Development England, in partnership with Manchester Museum and The Carbon Literacy Project, has developed an online Museums’ Carbon Literacy Toolkit that is free to access by all museums. It is being delivered by the Museum Development teams across England, with the support of the Museum Carbon Literacy Officer. It will run online from the…
Severn Valley Railway Launch Fund Raising Appeal to Repair Landslip
Around 30m (32yds) of the Severn Valley Railway (SVR) track and track bed was damaged in a landslip on 30 January. A section of the track is impassable after the embankment collapsed about 300m (328yds) north of Sterns on the Shropshire section of the line. The affected area lies between SVR’s northern terminus station at…
Historic England & English Heritage Update Their Climate Change Adaptation Report for 2024
Historic England and the English Heritage Trust have updated their ‘Climate Change Adaptation Report’, a document written in response to the Government’s Fourth Adaptation Reporting Power (ARP4) call under provisions in Part 4, Section 62 of the Climate Change Act 2008. This latest edition builds on the Third Adaptation Reporting Power (ARP3) report submitted jointly…
Industrial Heritage Support 