Managing Cultural Property Protected under the 1954 Hague Convention

In 2017, the Cultural Property (Armed Conflicts) Act UK Government was introduced to enable the UK to comply fully with the obligations of the Convention and its Protocols. The UK formally ratified the Convention and acceded to the Protocols on 12 September 2017, and they entered into force on 12 December 2017.

What is protected by the Convention and its Protocols?

Article 1 of the 1954 Hague Convention defines what is considered cultural property. To implement the Convention, the government has produced a list of categories of cultural property within the UK that it considers meets these definitions of cultural property.

Cultural property protection is a devolved matter in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. However, the list below is UK-wide and was agreed with the devolved administrations.

The list, as established, is set out below. Please note, the list is indicative and non-exhaustive and should be used as guidance only.

1. All listed buildings of Grade I (England and Wales), Category A (Scotland) and Grade A (Northern Ireland) status
2. All historic parks and gardens of Grade I status in England and Wales
3. All UK World Heritage Sites, excluding those which are inscribed as natural sites only
4. The collections of the museums and galleries that are sponsored by Her Majesty’s Government, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive
5. Designated Collections in England and Recognised Collections in Scotland (covering collections at museums, galleries, libraries, archives and universities)
6. The records and collections of the National Record Offices, the five legal deposit libraries in the UK and the British Film Institute National Archive
7. Properties in state guardianship in the UK (including properties in the National Heritage Collection in England; Properties in Care of the Scottish Ministers; Properties in Care of the Welsh Ministers; and Monuments in State Care or Guardianship in Northern Ireland)

Protecting cultural property in England

The Convention and Second Protocol require States Parties to the Convention to undertake measures during times of peace to safeguard cultural property against the foreseeable effects of armed conflict.

For cultural property in England, government advice is that the most appropriate body to implement any safeguarding measures is the one directly responsible for the property, usually the owner, guardian or trustees.

The government has not introduced any specific additional requirements for those responsible for cultural property, on the basis that they consider appropriate measures should already be in place.

Article 5 of the Second Protocol (1999) offers some examples of the kind of measures to be taken by responsible bodies in peacetime. These include:

• The preparation of inventories
• The planning of emergency measures for protection against fire or structural collapse
• The preparation for the removal of movable cultural property or the provision of adequate in situ protection of such property

The full UK Government guidance on implementation of the 1954 Convention and its Protocols (November 2017) is available online.

Inventories

Historic England has provided the Ministry of Defence with data regarding the complete set of heritage assets in England to be protected under the 1954 Hague Convention. The UK has shared these with NATO.

Emergency Plans

Historic England provides general advice on emergency planning, including guidance and templates for an Emergency Response Plan. Please refer to our relevant pages for further information.

For museums, the Collections Trust provide guidance on assessing and managing risk and resources to support the development of an Emergency Plan.