PAUL BELFORD
Paul is the founder and CEO of Heritage Innovation. He has more than 30 years’ experience managing a diverse range of cultural heritage and archaeology projects, and organisations — working for governments, NGOs and in the private sector in the UK and internationally.
Expertise
- Cultural heritage management, conservation and archaeology
- Urban regeneration, urban archaeology and industrial heritage
- Museums, public engagement and heritage interpretation
Skills
- Ethical and pragmatic application of policy
- Governance, strategic leadership and business development
- Leadership of large multi-disciplinary teams and complex projects
Experience
- Several years' leadership in for-profit consultancies, delivering international cultural heritage projects and programmes
- More than ten years as CEO of a UK not-for-profit cultural heritage organisation providing services to public and private sector clients, including national and local government
- Over ten years leading and expanding a profitable commercial heritage/archaeology team within one of the UK’s leading independent museums
- A decade managing archaeological collections and monuments in a World Heritage Site, leading multi-agency heritage-led conservation and research projects, with budgets up to GBP 10m / USD 13m
- More than twenty years' experience as non-executive director for a diverse range of heritage organisations and visitor attractions, with annual turnover up to GBP 650m / USD 860m
- Wide-ranging service on public and professional committees
- Extensive university teaching and mentoring, including delivering international collaborative research projects
- Author of seven books and over 70 peer-reviewed academic and professional publications
Accreditations
- Member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (MCIfA)
- Affiliate of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA)
- Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London (FSA)
- Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) A2 CoC UAV licence
Qualifications
- PhD (University of York)
- MA (University of Sheffield)
- BSc (University of Sheffield)
More information about Paul can be found on LinkedIn.
The technical accomplishment and timely delivery which Paul consistently achieves are exemplary ... I wholeheartedly recommend Paul as an exceedingly proficient professional with a deserved reputation as one of the country's leading heritage consultants.
Paul Belford's CV (pdf)
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Recent professional engagement
International presentations
UN Cultural Heritage Symposium, Tiranë (AL) 2024
- Review of EU / UN cultural heritage regeneration projects, focussing on visitor management, disaster risk management and conservation planning. Workshops and presentations, with Albanian, Kosovan, UK and Italian colleagues.
European Association of Archaeologists, Rome (IT) 2024
- Sessions and presentations on urban archaeology, climate change, and the ethics of cultural heritage professionalism.
European Archaeological Council, Brussels (BE) 2024
- Keynote presentation on 'time, space and people' in urban archaeology. Theme: 'Urban archaeology and the cities of tomorrow'.
Prospect Remote Survey Symposium, St-Romain-en-Gal (FR) 2024
- Invited presentation on the role of remote prospection (including 3D modelling and the use of AI) in urban archaeology.
European Association of Archaeologists, Budapest (HU) 2022
- Sessions and presentations on urban archaeology, climate change, and the ethics of cultural heritage professionalism.
Books
Managing Archaeology in Dynamic Urban Centres
by Paul Belford and Jeroen Bouwmeester (editors), published by Sidestone (Leiden, NL)
- Case studies exploring the method and practice of development-driven urban archaeology in Lithuania, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Israel.
by Paul Belford, Glyn Davies, Rowan May and Mark Stenton, published by the York Archaeological Trust (York, UK)
- History and archaeology of this 500-year old manufacturing site, from its monastic origins to the late 20th century. Bringing together the results of developer-funded archaeological excavations, historic building recording and archive research.
Blood, faith and iron
by Paul Belford, published by Archaeopress (Oxford, UK)
- New research on the extent of industrialisation in England during the 16th and 17th centuries - and the degree to which Catholic families were involved in the development of new technologies and creative innovation.
Articles
Time, space and people: urban archaeology and urban futures
by Paul Belford, published in Internet Archaeology, 70. https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.70.2.
- Reflections on a range of issues around urban archaeology in European contexts, focusing on the contribution that the discipline can make to placemaking for future generations.
Ensuring archaeology in the planning system delivers public benefit
by Paul Belford, published in Public Archaeology, 18:4. 191-216. https://doi.org/10.1080/14655187.2020.1833525
- Providing context to government proposals. Gives an overview of the history of the development of archaeology and cultural heritage protections in UK spatial planning legislation, and an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
Politics and heritage: developments in historic environment policy and practice in Wales
by Paul Belford, published in The Historic Environment: Policy and Practice, 9:2. 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/17567505.2018.1456721
- Contextual analysis of changes in policy and practice resulting from legislation passed by Welsh Government. Review of the origins and development of heritage and planning policy in Wales, the role of the various institutions involved in delivering it, and some of the future challenges in the devolved environment.
Adding value: an independent system of accreditation for archaeology and cultural heritage
by Paul Belford and Gerry Wait, published in Archäologische Informationen, 41. 55-64. https://doi.org/10.11588/ai.2018.0.56916
- Review of different models of professional accreditation across Europe, and the role of ethics in developing new frameworks and guidance for professional behaviour in the fields of archaeology and cultural heritage.
by Paul Belford, published in Medieval Settlement Research, 36. 18-39. https://doi.org/10.5284/1103306
- Review of the impact of thirty years of development-driven archaeological work in historic towns in Wales, to inform future strategy for delivering cultural heritage outcomes within the spatial planning process.
A full list of Paul's publications can be found here
What we do
Cultural heritage consultancy
Aerial survey and photogrammetry
Aerial survey and photogrammetry
Aerial survey and photogrammetry
Aerial survey and photogrammetry
Aerial survey and photogrammetry
Heritage Innovation Limited
34-35 Butcher Row • Shrewsbury • SY1 1UW • United Kingdom
Company 14145049
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