The advent of modernity has been characterised by an ephemerality and transience that opposes the notion of sedentary systems and configurations. This is reflected in the territories and boundaries that are formed, deformed and reformed as a perpetual process of continuity and growth. Liquidity in power relations, of territories and border conditions, in custodianship and jurisdiction, has emerged out of a ‘melting of solids’ – a disintegration of finiteness that has, in retrospect, emerged as bonds that weave individual choices and freedom in collective projects, with the reconfiguration of patterns of communication and co-ordination between individual policies and collective political action. Within this socio-political landscape, the thesis aims to posit heritage as the dialogical landscape that represents cosmopolitan London to ascertain the extent of statutory control and agency among distinctive collectives. The research contextualises heritage as an emergent process influenced by historical events and contestations by concentrating on distinct pieces of the city that have instituted heritage value, been contested and have acquired protection. The study assesses the impact of institutional structures on the implementation of conservation strategy and analyses past legislation and policy to present a holistic identity of heritage through embedded values and transient cultural landscapes, redefining the scope and nature of heritage practices in different contexts.

Trisha Sarkar is an architect with a BArch from CEPT University, Ahmedabad and an MA in City Design from the Royal College of Art. As an exchange student, she spent a semester at TU Delft, and at present is pursuing her doctoral studies at the Architectural Association. She has worked as an architect, researcher, writer, reviewer and tutor, and is a member of ICOMOS, India.