Historic sites should be free for children, says study

Children could get free admission to castles, historic houses and ancient monuments under proposals announced yesterday by Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary.

English Heritage and other bodies are to be consulted on how the successful policy of free access to the national museums and galleries can be extended to Britain's historical treasures.

The idea was among dozens of recommendations in a Department for Culture report, The Historic Environment: A Force for our Future.

The report said: "Visits to historic sites and buildings can really help history and other subjects come alive for young people, sparking their creativity and imagination."

The report recommends a wide range of measures to safeguard Britain's heritage and encourage public interest.

It suggests the extension of the blue plaque scheme – which marks the former homes of notable people – expanding it from the five cities where it already operates and taking it across Britain.

The report also proposes streamlining regulatory controls to make it easier to preserve the most important buildings. It accepts English Heritage's argument that there needs to be a shift of emphasis towards encouraging the preventive maintenance of historic buildings, instead of intervening with grants only when serious deterioration has set in. It proposes establishing training schemes in the craft skills needed to preserve Britain's most important buildings.

However, the report falls short of a commitment to resolving one of the biggest problems raised by the heritage lobby – the imposition of 17.5 per cent VAT on repairs to old buildings – from which new building work is exempt.