A “COURAGEOUS and fearless leader” has had a lifetime of achievement in heritage recognised with a prestigious award.
Jersey resident Marcus Binney, founder and president of the charity SAVE Britain’s Heritage, is among the 26 winners of the 2024 European Heritage Awards/Europa Nostra Awards, co-funded by the European Union’s Creative Europe programme.
The winners were selected by a jury of 12 heritage experts from across Europe, and were among more than 200 nominees submitted by organisations and individuals from 38 countries.
Mr Binney’s citation describes him as “a guiding force for raising public awareness of European cultural heritage for over fifty years”. It continues: “His wide-reaching influence and inspiring leadership have revolutionised the protection and conservation of heritage in the United Kingdom and abroad”.
It was in 1975 that Mr Binney co-founded SAVE Britain’s Heritage, helping begin a movement of direct action and media campaigning that alerted the public to the scale of the loss of the UK’s built heritage. It challenged conventional notions of the feasibility of rescue and re-use, and, ultimately, would help save innumerable buildings under threat.
His contribution to updating heritage legislation through campaigns and landmark rulings is also underlined in the citation which draws attention to one of his recent successful appeals against the demolition of the Marks & Spencer department store on London’s Oxford Street. It notes that his influence extends to success in Poland, Spain, Germany, Russia and Italy, motivating and encouraging local heritage conservationists across the continent.
The awards jury called Mr Binney “a daring, courageous and fearless leader who has set the standard for heritage campaigning over the past 50 years”, adding that he had used the media very cleverly to change views on heritage and heritage reuse.
“Binney can be described as a pollinator, successfully convincing and bringing stakeholders together, and acting as a skilled moderator among various groups with sometimes conflicting interests. He is a legal innovator, helping to change legislation to limit damage and setting legal precedents, who serves as a powerful example for heritage campaigners across Europe,” the jury said.
In Jersey, Mr Binney is a co-founder and president of Save Jersey’s Heritage, helping in the campaign to save Government House and subsequently extolling the merits of threatened buildings such as the Airport arrivals hall.
In recognition of his services to heritage, Mr Binney was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1983 and Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2006.
His latest accolade will be formally presented on 7 October at the European Heritage Awards Ceremony at the Romanian Athenaeum, the most prestigious concert hall in Bucharest.
