Djabarouti, J., 2020.

‘The lively development of tradition’: Edgar Wood, restoration and intangible heritage

Edgar Wood, notable Middleton architect, emphasised the importance of balancing a reverence for the past with a desire to create something original in the present – what he de- scribed as the true meaning of ‘tradition’. In applying Wood’s conception of tradition to the broader notion of heritage, it becomes a ‘tradition-based creation’ in a state of constant recreation – traits commonly associated with intangible cultural heritage. Using Wood’s grade II* Long Street Methodist Church and Sunday Schools, this paper is concerned with exploring the contem- porary practices and activities that Edgar Wood and Long Street are central to. It explores how the restoration approach chosen for the building relates to the dynamic conception of tradition that Wood supported, facilitating the synthesis of tangible and intangible heritage. An idealised version of both the building and its associated collective memory are restored, in order to transmit Wood’s past progressiveness and present legacy into the future.