Heritage Rising

Bordeaux, Bristol, Liverpool: Ports of the past, cities of the future

From the quaysides of Bordeaux to the harbours of Bristol and Liverpool’s docks, the great port cities of Western Europe are stirring once more.

How have these three cities, all shaped by slavery, re-connected with their stories, abandoned structures and grand facades of the past, to create prosperous, and fairer futures?

The waterfronts, once symbols of global trade and industrial might, fell into decline in the late 19^th and 20^th centuries as industries shifted and shipping changed. We explore how their very different heritage assets, and waterside locations have been levered to lead regeneration, becoming magnets for investment, culture and community life.

“European money in the 1990s made the difference between Liverpool collapsing & recovering – €1.4 billion over 10 years.” Prof Michael Parkinson, Liverpool University

What did these cities get right? What opportunities were missed? How are they actively addressing the ethical complexity of their history? And what next for these vibrant ports?

Heritage Rising brings together leading historians, architects, and city-makers to explore how Bordeaux, Liverpool and Bristol have reinvented themselves for the 21^st Century. We’ll uncover the forces, from economic renewal to grassroots activism, that drove their renaissance, and examine the delicate balance between preservation and progress.

“When I was elected as mayor in 1995, my fellow citizens called the city ‘Sleeping Beauty.’ Now it’s completely awake” Alain Juppé, former Mayor of Bordeaux

Join us for an evening of ideas, stories, and visions—where history is not an anchor, but the wind in the sails of the future.

Our Speakers

• Vicky Smith, National Museums Liverpool
• Pete Insole, Bristol City Council
• Robin Gray, Alec French Architects
• Anne-Laure Moniot, World Heritage Mission Project Manager, Bordeaux-Métropole

About Our Speakers

Vicky Smith, National Museums Liverpool

Vicky Smith is a trained architect and started at NML in April 2024, heading up a new Strategy & Major Project directorate to deliver the museums three transformation pillars of development, which include the new International Slavery Museum and Maritime Museum on Liverpool’s iconic waterfront.

Pete Insole, Bristol City Council

Pete Insole is the Urban Design Team Manager in the Planning Department at Bristol City Council and has nearly 30 years’ experience of working in heritage and place practices in Bristol. Pete developed the award winning web resource, Know Your Place that has enabled a story of place concept that provides a platform for multiple voices to collectively share and define Bristol’s heritage through historic photos, oral histories, postcards and other formal and informal archives.

This event is created in partnership with Historic England.
Our talks are open to the public and professionals alike.
The event takes place at Arnolfini, Bristol, BS1 4QA