Heritage Pathway is a series of training and engagement activities which run termly. Since 2015, Heritage Pathway has provided undergraduate and postgraduate students, along with Early Career Researchers at the University of Oxford with the skills, knowledge and confidence to engage effectively with a wide range of partners in the heritage, museums and cultural sector.
Heritage Pathway is designed and delivered by Alice Purkiss and Dr Rachel Delman and organised through the Humanities Researcher Training and Development Programme.
Through a combination of lectures, workshops and site visits led by expert practitioners, participants understand their research in a wider context and gain experience in the heritage, museums and cultural sector. Heritage Pathway opens up new avenues for careers and collaborations, while reinforcing researchers’ ability to complete their research projects and academic tasks in a timely fashion.
Heritage Pathway enables participants to:
• Understand the opportunities and constraints within each sector of heritage.
• Understand the different language and vocabulary required to create successful collaborations.
• Explore how their research experience and expertise can contribute to organisations.
• Develop the skills and confidence to create collaborative research-led projects.
• Join a cohort of like-minded undergraduates, postgraduates and early career researchers.
• Develop and enhance networking abilities with internal and external colleagues.
Previous sessions have explored themes including:
• Heritage and its Audiences
• Case Studies in Collaboration: Digital Projects
• Researching, Curating and Interpreting Collections
• Careers in the Heritage and Museums Sectors
• CVs and Cover Letters for the Heritage Sector
• Commercial Heritage
• Cataloguing and Digital Projects
• Cataloguing and Spectrum Standards
• Interpretation
• Diversifying Heritage
• Communicating Heritage
• Working with Objects
• Heritage and Landscape
• Heritage and Authenticity
Site visits always include opportunities to meet with senior leaders and managers to discuss the ways in which research and the day-to-day and strategic concerns of sites and organisations intersect. Previous visits include: Compton Verney Art Gallery and Park, Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, Black Country Living Museum, and Charleston Farmhouse.
For further information please contact training@humanities.ox.ac.uk.
Heritage Events Hilary 2026
‘A Quiet Revolution’: Engaging Heritage Audiences with West Horsley Place’s Historic Landscape
Tuesday 27th January 2026, 11am - 1pm, Learning Centre (Room 00.018), The Schwarzman Centre
West Horsley Place is a Grade I listed medieval manor house and small independent heritage site in Surrey, which strives to be a catalyst for creativity and a space for everyone. It also doubles up as Button House in the hit TV series Ghosts! In 2025, West Horsley Place was awarded National Lottery Heritage Funding for ‘A Quiet Revolution’, a new project designed to enrich understanding of the site’s history and its interpretation for twenty-first century audiences.
In this session, we will learn more about this exciting project and the role that Oxford research is playing in generating new knowledge about the site’s landscape and its communities, both past and present. The project team will share insights before inviting participants to engage in a practical workshop around live challenges and opportunities, from the relationship of archival research to heritage interpretation and engagement to the value of landscape approaches for unlocking alternative perspectives and untold narratives through time.
Speakers
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Dr Helen Flatley, Project Researcher: ‘A Quiet Revolution’
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Clare Clinton, Arts, Heritage and Learning Manager, West Horsley Place
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Jo Ellison, Arts, Heritage and Learning Coordinator, West Horsley Place
Book now
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The future of everyday heritage: Historic Buildings & Places and the Future Lab project
Tuesday 10th February 2026, 11am - 1pm, Learning Centre (Room 00.018), The Schwarzman Centre
This in-person workshop will consider future challenges and opportunities facing the protection and care of everyday heritage through the case study of a new partnership between Oxford University and heritage charity Historic Buildings & Places (HB&P).
Founded as the Ancient Monuments Society in 1924, HB&P works to protect built heritage in England and Wales, primarily through the planning system. Now over one hundred years old and facing an uncertain future, the charity has launched the ambitious ‘Future Lab’ partnership with HILO (Heritage Innovations Lab Oxford) to explore HB&P’s role in the sector today and consider how it can support heritage for a sustainable future.
The session will outline HB&P‘s role as a National Amenity Society, followed by an interactive workshop which will offer participants the opportunity to explore the social, political, environmental and economic factors that are likely to affect heritage protection in future. The workshop will introduce participants to the concept and methods of futures and foresight while directly contributing to the work of the Future Lab project. Lunch is included.
Speakers:
- Dr Sterling Mackinnon, Project manager, HILO
- Dr Jessica Stitt, Future Lab Co-Lead
- Liz Power, Director, Historic Buildings & Places
Book now
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Championing our Local Heritage: Insights from Oxford Preservation Trust
Tuesday 24th February 2026, 11am - 1pm, Seminar Room 10.019, The Schwarzman Centre
This session will be led by specialists from Oxford Preservation Trust, a local, independent charity dedicated to the conservation and sustainable enhancement of Oxford and to the public appreciation and enjoyment of its history.
Our speakers will provide insights into the role of local preservation trusts as champions for heritage, from enabling public access to historic sites, caring for green spaces, and facilitating community heritage projects, to celebrating excellent new design and campaigning for thoughtful planning.
Speakers:
Book now
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Abingdon: Exploring the Cultural Heritage of an Oxfordshire Market Town
Wednesday 11th March 2026, 10.45am - 4pm, Abingdon Abbey, Abingdon
This term’s Heritage Pathway trip explores the rich heritage of Abingdon, from the hidden gem of the Abingdon Abbey Buildings to the impressive County Hall Museum. Last year, the Abingdon Abbey Buildings Trust was awarded National Lottery Heritage Funding to improve access and interpretation at the Abbey, a picturesque heritage asset at the heart of the town and its community.
During our visit, we will learn about the Abbey’s journey, from the Middle Ages to the present day, and the complex interplay of factors governing the development and delivery of the NLHF project, from procurement, funding and conservation to stakeholder engagement, access and outreach. Participants will engage in a bespoke workshop to design and pitch a social media campaign aimed at maintaining a buzz around the Abbey ahead of the site's grand reopening in 2027.
We will also meet staff from the neighbouring County Hall Museum who will tell us about their relationship to the Abbey and relevant collection items, as well as ways attendees can get involved in future initiatives.
Book now
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