Why is Heritage important?

Hi all

It may seem strange that I have been spending so much time looking at Maritime Heritage/History. Well, this is just as important as our natural heritage. In fact they are often part of the same thing.

Our heritage reminds us of what has gone before. How our family, village, town, etc came into being and what has contributed to the way they are today. This helps to give us a sense of place within our surroundings. Countries change too as we enter different eras of history.

Maritime history is also praticlualrly interesting. We can find out about the links between different countries in the past. We can find out about how countries traded with each other or how they fought against each other and why. While some ship wrecks have treasure such as gold and silver, many wrecks contain everyday items that people used in the past and by studying them we can see how people used to live. This is also "treasure" and an important part of our heritage.

See what you can find out about your own town or viilage. When was it first built and how has it changed? When was your house built, what was there before it was built? Your local library or museum are good places to start.

And don't forget, the things we do today are creating the Heritage of tomorrow, so it is important that we understand the past.

Bye for now, Ed