Bath's World Heritage Site advisory board chair to step down

Professor Barry Gilbertson is to step down from his voluntary role as chair of the City of Bath UNESCO World Heritage Site Advisory Board and Enhancement Fund following his departure from the city due to family relocation.

The Advisory Board is a partnership panel overseeing Bath’s UNESCO inscriptions. The World Heritage Enhancement Fund, a partnership between Bath & North East Somerset Council, Bath Preservation Trust and the World Heritage Site Advisory Board, sources, funds and manages local cityscape improvement schemes. 

Professor Gilbertson, who has chaired the Board since 2017, settled in Bath in 2013, following a successful career which included acting as an external adviser to The Bank of England for 11 years. He joined the Bath Preservation Trust as a volunteer in 2014 and then served as a trustee as well as chairing its Historic Vaults Group from 2015-2017. He served as a governor on the University of Bath Council from 2014 to 2020 and as a Director of the Bath Royal Literary & Scientific Institution from 2020 to 2022. He was appointed Visiting Professor at the University of Northumbria and at The Royal Agricultural University and has been a Visiting Lecturer at 23 other universities around the world. Professor Gilbertson is also a Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts, and past President of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. In 2019, he was declared one of the 65 Greatest Chartered Surveyors of the past 150 years. 

Professor Gilbertson said: “It has been a great honour to serve Bath in this capacity for so many years. UNESCO World Heritage status is the highest possible heritage accolade that the city can achieve. It is an important driver for our economy and a source of great civic pride. As a Bath resident, it has been a privilege to work with, and now to thank publicly, not only all the volunteers whom I have enjoyed working alongside, but also so many local, national and international partners to ensure that our heritage is protected and appreciated by residents and visitors alike, with more than 6.25m visitors a year. I am immensely proud of all we have achieved together. Our goal, set by UNESCO, is to pass on the very best heritage of previous generations to the next and future generations. With my imminent family relocation, the time has come for me to pass on that baton.”  

Bath & North East Somerset Council leader Councillor Kevin Guy said: "The World Heritage Site Advisory Board is an exemplar of community partnership working, where 21 different organisations co-operate to guide the conservation of our outstanding heritage. Harnessing these different contributions requires an extra-special skill set and the city owes Barry a great debt of gratitude for undertaking this role so skilfully for an unprecedented three terms since 2017, on an entirely voluntary basis. The partnership has flourished under his leadership and he leaves us in a strong position to balance the protection of our world-renowned heritage against the needs of a modern city." 

“Barry is a devoted family man and it is for this reason that he and his wife Von are moving to Surrey to be closer to family and grandchildren. This is a sad loss for Bath, but they go with our very best wishes. We will miss Barry’s experience and  expertise, harnessed with his  energy and enthusiasm. Thank you, Barry, for all you have done for Bath.” 

Councillor Matt McCabe, Cabinet Member for the Built Environment and Sustainable Development said: “I'd like to thank Barry for his oversight and guidance over these past 7 years. He has been a patient and authoritative voice for all those of us involved in our double World Heritage City. I have been very grateful for the time he has afforded me in my role as Cabinet Member. He will be missed.” 

Following his appointment as chair in 2017, Professor Gilbertson set an objective to increase knowledge, awareness and appreciation of Bath’s UNESCO status.  Since then he has delivered 68 talks to more than 3,600 people. In 2023, he also conceived and curated a successful six-lecture World Heritage Series, at BRLSI, each lecture featuring a renowned expert speaker, attracting more than 800 attendees. In 2018, he initiated and has since chaired six meetings for Chairs of the 33 UK World Heritage Sites to share best practice.

Since 2009 the Enhancement Fund has seen over 100 projects completed, with the team winning the Georgian Group’s 2019 National Architectural Award for Streetscape Initiatives for the restoration of 70 incised stone or historic street signs around the city centre.  Barry’s tenure also saw the opening of the World Heritage Centre in York Street and Bath’s rare second inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the 11 Great Spa Towns of Europe, making Bath one of only 22 (out of 1199) World Heritage Sites.  

Professor Gilbertson will be formally standing down from the role on 30 April 2024, and Bath & North East Somerset Council is preparing to recruit a successor.