Why Heritage Needs Fresh Eyes

Heritage projects often carry the weight of history; centuries of architecture, tradition, and meaning woven into bricks, stones, or landscapes. With that weight comes caution: layers of permissions, multiple stakeholders, and budgets that are rarely generous.

But heritage doesn’t have to mean slow or stale. With the right project management approach, these sites and festivals can be truly innovative and exciting. It’s about balancing respect for the past with clarity in the present: knowing how to navigate regulations, align diverse partners, and stretch every pound to deliver impact.

Working with conservation means listening carefully, sometimes the best approach is to preserve old ways, to honour traditional methods and keep history intact. Other times, it’s about introducing new thinking so heritage projects can thrive in modern contexts. The art lies in knowing when to hold back and when to push forward.

At Field Note, we see heritage through a dual lens: honouring what’s been handed down, while spotting where innovation can make projects resilient. Because heritage doesn’t just belong in archives. It belongs in the field, shaping the communities who live alongside it now.

Because every project leaves a note behind.