DISLOCATED HERITAGE AND THE NATIONAL MEMORIAL ARBORETUM (STAFFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND)

Peniston-Bird, Corinna (2024) DISLOCATED HERITAGE AND THE NATIONAL MEMORIAL ARBORETUM (STAFFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND). In: AMPS Proceedings :. AMPS Proceedings . AMPS, CZE, pp. 72-79. ISBN 2398-9467

Abstract

The National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire is a national centre of remembrance in Great Britain which deliberately distanced itself from existing British memorial sites and calendars of war remembrance. This paper explores the Arboretum as a site of dis/location: none of the war memorials housed there have a particular link with this geographical location. Through the condensation of so many monuments in one space, the Arboretum reveals the significance of juxtaposition. Based on the archives of the Charity, the official publications and guides issued by the site, their webpage, media coverage, and above all, the site itself, this paper explores the role of place and associative meaning, both physical and abstract, in commemorative heritage.