European Historic Houses

I was delighted to represent Historic Houses of Ireland at the European Historic Houses General Assembly in Brussels on 2nd and 3rd June.

A particular highlight was visiting the European Parliament and attending the opening of the exhibition “Heritage at Heart: Historic Houses and Gardens as the Cultural Foundations of Europe”, hosted by MEP Carlo Ciccioli.

It was a pleasure to meet Irish MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú at the Parliament, and also to meet MEP Carlo Ciccioli, whose support for this important conversation is very much appreciated.

The discussions in Brussels underlined a vital point: historic houses and gardens are not simply cultural assets. When actively used and cared for, they are engines of rural growth. They support employment, tourism, local supply chains, traditional skills, community life and the long-term sustainability of rural places.

A key message from the EHH briefing was that privately owned historic houses operating as B&Bs, event venues, cultural destinations, agritourism estates and visitor attractions should be recognised as productive rural infrastructure. They are rooted in place, cannot be relocated, and often provide the economic and cultural anchor that keeps rural communities alive.

There was also a strong focus on improving access to EU funding for private heritage owners, particularly through Cohesion Policy, rural development funds and the EU’s emerging Sustainable Tourism Strategy. The challenge now is to ensure that historic houses are properly recognised within European policy as part of the solution for rural regeneration, sustainable tourism and cultural resilience.

Many thanks to Alfonso Pallavicini and the European Historic Houses team for hosting us so generously, and for their continued leadership and advocacy on behalf of historic houses across Europe.

It was also a great pleasure to meet my counterparts from the other European Historic Houses associations and to share experiences, challenges and ideas for the future.