Reconsidering Relocated Buildings: ICOMOS, Authenticity and Mass Relocation

ICOMOS charters guide global heritage conservation practices. Fundamental to most is thenotion that a ‘monument is inseparable from the history to which it bears witness and fromthe setting in which it occurs.’ Yet buildings have been moved for centuries. Neither thefabric nor the size of a building, nor planning regulations, nor even heritage listing, haveprevented their relocation. This article briefly examines the history of relocation, reviewsattitudes to relocation in ICOMOS charters, and analyses two case studies involving themass relocation of heritage buildings in the UK and in New Zealand to question theassumption that buildings lose their authenticity if moved.