World Heritage in the UK

For World Heritage in the UK include (as of 2019) 32 UNESCO World Heritage sites , including 27 sites of world cultural heritage, four sites of the world natural heritage and a mixed cultural and natural heritage site. The United Kingdom ratified the World Heritage Convention in 1984 and the first six World Heritage Sites were added to the World Heritage List in 1986. The last World Heritage Site to date was registered in 2019, and one site is on the Red List of World Heritage in Danger .

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With 18 sites, most of the World Heritage Sites are in England , four of which are in the Greater London administrative area alone . There are five sites in Scotland and three in Wales . There is also a World Heritage Site in Northern Ireland , on the Bermuda Islands , on the Pitcairn Islands , on the Tristan da Cunha archipelago and in Gibraltar .

Durham Castle and Durham Cathedral Ironbridge Studley Royal Water Garden Stonehenge Avebury Blenheim Palace Bath Churches in Canterbury Saltaire Derwent Valley Mills Liverpool Dorset and East Devon Coast Mining landscape of Cornwall and West Devon Lake District Jodrell Bank Radio Observatory World Heritage Sites in England (excluding the sites in Greater London and Hadrian's Wall)	Westminster Tower of London Greenwich Royal Botanic Gardens World Heritage Sites in Greater London	New Lanark Edinburgh St. Kilda (Scotland) The Heart of Neolithic Orkney Forth Bridge World Heritage Sites in Scotland
Beaumaris Castle Caernarfon Castle Conwy Castle Harlech Castle Blaenavon Pontcysyllte Aqueduct World Heritage Sites in Wales	Giant's Causeway World Heritage Sites in Northern Ireland Saint George's (Bermuda) World Heritage Sites in Bermuda	Gorham cave World Heritage Sites in Gibraltar

World heritage sites

The following table lists the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom in chronological order by year of their inclusion on the World Heritage List (K - Cultural Heritage, N - Natural Heritage, K / N - Mixed, (R) - on the Red List of World Heritage in Danger ).

 Map with all coordinates of World Heritage Sites: OSM

image	designation	year	Type	Ref.	description
(more pictures)	The "Giant's Causeway" and its coast ( location )	1986	N	369	According to an Irish legend, the Giant's Causeway (English for the giant's dam ) was built by a giant. It consists of 40,000 basalt columns protruding from the sea and was created through volcanic activity in the Tertiary.
	Durham Castle and Cathedral ( location )	1986	K	370	Durham Cathedral is the "greatest and most beautiful" example of Norman architecture in England and the cathedral's vault was part of the rise of Gothic architecture. The cathedral houses relics of St. Cuthbert and Bede. Durham Castle , Norman, was the residence of the Prince-Bishops of Durham.
	Ironbridge Gorge ( location )	1986	K	371	Ironbridge contains mines, factories, workers' housing, and the transportation infrastructure that was created in the gorge during the Industrial Revolution. The development of the production of coke in the region helped in the Industrial Revolution. The bridge over the Severn was the world's first iron bridge and was architecturally and technologically influential.
	Studley Royal Park with the ruins of Fountains Abbey	1986	K	372	Prior to the dissolution of the monasteries in the mid-16th century, Fountains Abbey was one of the largest and richest Cistercian monasteries in Great Britain and is one of the few to come and survive the 12th century. The later garden, which includes the abbey, survives to a large extent in its original design and influenced garden design in Europe.
Stonehenge	Stonehenge, Avebury and related monuments of megalithic culture	1986	K	373	The Neolithic sites of Avebury and Stonehenge are two of the largest and most famous megalithic monuments in the world. They relate to human interaction with their environment. The purpose of the henges is a source of speculation, with suggestions from ceremonies around the interpretation of the cosmos. Associated places of worship include Silbury Hill , Beckhampton Avenue and West Kennet Avenue . expanded in 2008
Conwy Castle	King Edward's castles and city walls at Gwynedd	1986	K	374	During the reign of Edward I of England (1272-1307), a number of castles were built in Wales with the aim of subjugating the population and establishing English colonies in Wales. The world heritage site includes many castles including Beaumaris Castle , Caernarfon Castle , Conwy Castle and Harlech Castle . The castles of King Edward I are considered the pinnacle of military architecture.
	St. Kilda archipelago	1987	K / N	387	The islands' human heritage include various unique architectural features from both historical and prehistoric times. It was inhabited for over 2,000 years. Many important seabird species live here, including the world's largest colony of gannets and up to 136,000 pairs of puffins. expanded in 2005 and 2008
	Blenheim Castle	1987	K	425	Blenheim Palace, the residence of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, was designed by architects John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor. The associated park was created by Capability Brown. The palace celebrated the victory over the French and is of importance for the construction of English romantic architecture as a separate unit from French classical architecture.
	Westminster (palace and abbey) and Church of St. Margaret	1987	K	426	The world heritage site has been involved in the administration of England since the 11th century and later in the United Kingdom. Since the coronation of William the Conqueror, all English and British monarchs have been crowned at Westminster Abbey . The Palace of Westminster , home of the British Parliament, is an example of Gothic Revival. St Margaret's Church is the parish church of Parliament.
	City of Bath	1987	K	428	Founded by the Romans as a spa town, an important center of the wool industry in medieval times, and a spa town in the 18th century, Bath has an eventful history. The city is known for its preserved Roman ruins and Palladian architecture
Hadrian's Wall	Borders of the Roman Empire	1987	K	430	The Limes was created in the Roman Empire to defend the borders of the Roman Empire . Hadrian's Wall , built in 122 AD , was added to the World Heritage List in 1987. After the World Heritage site was expanded in 2005 to include the Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes in Germany, the Antoninus Wall in Scotland, built in 142 AD, was added in 2008 .
	Henderson Island South Sea	1988	N	487	Henderson Island is an atoll in the Pitcairn Islands in the south of the Pacific Ocean. The ecology, which is almost untouched by humans, and its isolation shows the dynamics of evolution. There are ten plant and four native animal species on the island.
	Tower of London	1988	K	488	Starting from William the Conqueror in 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, the Tower of London is a symbol of power and an example of Norman military architecture spread across England. The extensions under Henry III. and Edward I in the 13th century made the castle one of the most influential buildings of its kind in England.
Canterbury Cathedral	Cathedral, former St. Augustine's Abbey and St. Martins Church in Canterbury	1988	K	496	The St. Martin's Churchist the oldest church in England. The Church and Abbey of St. Augustine were founded in the early stages of the introduction of Christianity to the Anglo-Saxons. The Canterbury Cathedral has Romanesque and Gothic architecture and is the seat of the Church of England.
	Edinburgh	1995	K	728	Edinburgh Old Town was founded in the Middle Ages, and the New Town was developed in 1767–1890. It contrasts the face of the settlements in medieval and modern times. The shape and architecture of the new city, designed by luminaries such as William Chambers and William Playfair, influenced European urban planning in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Gough Island	Gough and Inaccessible Islands	1995	N	740	Together, the islands of Gough and Inaccessible in the Tristan da Cunha archipelago in the South Atlantic preserve an ecosystem that is almost untouched by mankind, with many native species of plants and animals. In 1995 the island of Gough was first added to the world heritage, in 2004 Inaccessible was added.
	Maritime Greenwich	1997	K	795	In addition to the first example of Palladian architecture in England, as well as works by Christopher Wren and Inigo Jones, the Greenwich area is significant for the Royal Observatory, where the understanding of astronomy and navigation was developed.
Skara Brae	Neolithic monuments in the Orkney Islands	1999	K	514	A collection of Neolithic settlements with purposes ranging from settlement to worship. It includes the settlement of Skara Brae, the burial chamber of Maes Howe, and the stone circles of Stenness and Brodgar.
	Historic city of St. George with fortifications ( location )	2000	K	983	Founded in 1612, St. George is the oldest English city in the New World and an example of the planned urban settlements in the New World established by colonial powers in the 17th century. The fortifications show defensive techniques developed through the 17th to 20th centuries.
	Blaenavon industrial landscape	2000	K	984
	Saltaire industrial village ( location )	2001	K	1028	Saltaire was founded by the mill owner Titus Salt as a model village for his workers. The World Heritage Site, which includes the Salts Mill, featured public buildings for residents and was an example of patronage from the 19th century.
	Dorset and East Devon coast	2001	N	1029	The rocks consisting of the Dorset and Devonian coasts are an important fossil site and provide a continuous record of land and sea life in the area for 185 million years.
	Derwent Valley industrial landscape ( location )	2001	K	1030	Derwent Valley Mills was the birthplace of the factory system; the innovations in the valley, including the development of workers' settlements - like at Cromford - and machines like the Water Frame, were important in the Industrial Revolution. The Derwent Valley Mills influenced North America and Europe.
	New Lanark Model Industrial Estate	2001	K	429	Inspired by Richard Arkwright's Factory System, developed in the Derwent Valley, the New Lanark Community was created to provide housing for workers who worked in the mills. Philanthropist Robert Owen bought the site and turned it into a model of community with public facilities, education, and supportive factory reforms.
	Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew ( location )	2003	K	1084	Created in 1759, the most influential Kew Gardens were designed by Charles Bridgeman, William Kent, Capability Brown and William Chambers. The gardens were used to study botany and ecology and promoted understanding of the subjects.
	Historic port city of Liverpool	2004	K (R)	1150	In the 18th and 19th centuries, Liverpool was one of the largest ports in the world. The British Empire helped maintain its global connections, and it was an important port involved in the slave trade until its abolition in 1807 and a departure point for emigrants to North America. The docks were the place of innovation in construction and dock management.
	Mining countryside of Cornwall and West Devon	2006	K	1215	Tin and copper mines in Devon and Cornwall were booming in the 18th and 19th centuries, and at their peak the area produced two-thirds of the world's copper content. The techniques and technologies developed in underground mining in Devon and Cornwall are used around the world.
	Pontcysyllte aqueduct and canal ( location )	2009	K	1303	The aqueduct was built to carry the Ellesmere Canal across the Dee Valley. Completed during the Industrial Revolution and designed by Thomas Telford, the aqueduct made innovative use of cast and wrought iron and influenced civil engineering around the world.
	The Forth Bridge ( location )	2015	K	1485	The Forth Bridge is a cantilever railway bridge over the Firth of Forth (mouth of the River Forth) in Scotland. It was opened in 1890 and is still in operation today. It has set new standards in design, construction material and size and is an important milestone in bridge construction from a time when the railroad dominated long-distance transport in rural areas.
	Gorham cave complex in Gibraltar ( location )	2016	K	1500	The Gorham Cave is considered an important archaeological site because it was inhabited by Neanderthals during the Stone Age for thousands of years.
	The English Lake District	2017	K	422	The Lake District is a 2172 km² national park in Cumbria in northwest England, around 130 km from Manchester . The mountain and lake landscape is dominated by the Cumbrian Mountains , which are the highest peaks in England. This area is also home to England's largest natural lake, Windermere .
	Jodrell Bank Radio Observatory ( location )	2019	K	1594	The radio observatory had a significant scientific impact on the study of meteors and the moon, the discovery of quasars, quantum optics, and spacecraft tracking. The Lowell Telescope was the largest radio telescope in the world when it was completed in 1957.

Tentative list

The sites that are intended for nomination for inclusion in the World Heritage List are entered in the tentative list .

Current World Heritage candidates

There are currently (2019) ten sites on the UK tentative list, the last entry being in 2017. The following table lists the sites in chronological order according to the year they were included in the tentative list.

 Map with all coordinates of current World Heritage candidates: OSM

image	designation	year	Type	Ref.	description
	Chatham Dockyard and the associated defenses ( location )	2012	K	5670	Chatham Dockyard was a shipbuilding site at the mouth of the Medway used from the 16th to the 20th centuries .
	Creswell Crags	2012	K	5671	Creswell Crags is a limestone canyon in the central highlands of England, where signs of use can be found for around 40,000 to 60,000 years.
	Darwin's laboratory	2012	K	5672
	St. Helena Island ( location )	2012	N	5675
	Mousa, Old Scatness and Jarlshof: Zenith of the Iron Age Shetland	2012	K	5677
	The slate industry in North Wales	2012	K	5678
	Flow Country	2012	N	5679
	The Monkwearmouth and Jarrow Dual Monastery	2012	K	5681
	Turks and Caicos Islands ( location )	2012	N	5682
	Important health resorts in Europe	2014	K	5935	The transnational proposal together with Belgium (Ref. 5932 ), Germany (Ref. 5934 ), France (Ref. 5931 ), Italy (Ref. 5928 ), Austria (Ref. 5930 ) and the Czech Republic (Ref. 5929 ) contains from the United Kingdom the spa town of Bath ( ⊙ ) with the only hot springs in England.

Former World Heritage candidates

These sites were previously on the tentative list, but were withdrawn or rejected by UNESCO. Sites that are included in other entries on the tentative list or that are part of world heritage sites are not taken into account here.

 Map with all coordinates of former World Heritage candidates: OSM

image	designation	year	Type	Ref.	description
	Cathedral and Bishop's Palace of St David's ( location )	1987-1987	K	424	St David's Cathedral in Wales is one of the oldest surviving structures of its kind in Britain. It is the last major Norman style church in Great Britain. The former bishop's palace and is only preserved as a ruin. The ensemble was completely surrounded by a wall, of which only one gate remains.
	Eclectic sites of Lough Erne ( location )	1987-1987	K	427	Lough Erne's nomination was rejected in 1987 due to better examples of eclecticism .
	SS Great Britain	1988-1988	K		Rejected in 1988 because it does not meet the criteria.
	Menai and Conwy Bridge	1988-1988	K		The Menai Suspension Bridge ( Lage ) is a chain bridge completed in 1826 between the island of Anglesey and mainland Wales. The Conwy Railway Bridge ( Lage ) is a railway bridge built between 1846 and 1848 over the River Conwy in north Wales. It was the first self-supporting, wrought-iron box girder bridge.
	Navan Fort	1988-1989	K	490	Rejected in 1989
	Cambridge Colleges and The Backs	1989-1989	K		The Backs is an area in Cambridge on both sides of the River Cam , in which several colleges of the University of Cambridge are located. The application was postponed because too small an area was nominated.
	Anegada	1995-1996	N		Anegada is the northernmost island and the only coral island in the British Virgin Islands
	The Baths	1995-1996	N		The Baths is an area of ​​unusual geological formations in the southwest of Virgin Gorda , the third largest in the British Virgin Islands
	Legionnaires fortress Caerleon	1995-1996	K		Isca Silurum in today's village of Caerleon was a Roman legion camp from the 1st to 4th centuries.
	Chatsworth House	1995-1996	K		Chatsworth House is an English country castle in Derbyshire which has been continuously inhabited by the Dukes of Devonshire family since the 16th century .
	Cregneash, Isle of Man	1995-1996	K		Village in the south west of the Isle of Man
	St. Patrick Isle (Peel Castle), Isle of Man	1995-1996	K		Peel Castle is the ruin of a Viking castle on the tidal island of St. Patrick's Isle off the west coast of the Isle of Man
	Lacock	1995-1996	K		Village east of Bath in the English county of Wiltshire
	Stourhead	1995-1996	K		Country house and landscaped garden near Stourton in Wiltshire
	Fortresses of Gibraltar	1996-2012	K	697	Fortifications on the Gibraltar peninsula
	Manchester and Salford	1999-2012	K	1316	The city of Salford is directly connected to the city of Manchester . The site included evidence of the Industrial Revolution including Ancoats , Castlefield, and Worsley
	The New Forest	1999-2012	N	1318	Natural park in Hampshire and Wiltshire in the south of England .
	Great Western Railway: Paddington - Bristol	1999-2012	K	1319	includes selected structures on the railway line opened in 1838 between Paddington station in London and Bristol
	Shakespeare's Stratford	1999-2012	K	1321	Stratford-upon-Avon is the birthplace and place of death of William Shakespeare .
	Cairngorm Mountains	1999-2012	N	1322	Mountain range of the Grampian Mountains in the north east of Scotland .
	Mount Stewart Gardens	1999-2012	K	1327	Gardens of a manor house in County Down, Northern Ireland .
	Fountain Cavern, Anguilla	1999-2012	K	1328	Fountain Cavern is considered the most important Native American site on the Caribbean island of Anguilla
	The Wash and the North Norfolk coast	1999-2012	N	1336	includes The Wash , estuary basin ( estuary ) of several rivers and the adjacent coast of the district of North Norfolk

Web links

Commons : World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• United Kingdom on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ United Kingdom. In: whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Center, accessed July 22, 2017 . 
2. ↑ German names according to the World Heritage List. In: www.unesco.de. German UNESCO Commission, accessed on January 20, 2018 . 
3. ↑ Tentative List of the United Kingdom. In: whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Center, accessed July 22, 2017 . 
4. ^ Former Tentative Sites of the UK. In: World Heritage Site. Retrieved July 22, 2017 (English). 

 Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap