Seven breathtaking sites in the UK are in running to win World Heritage status
Seven UK and overseas territories sites are in the running to win UNESCO World Heritage status.
A total of 33 sites in the UK have already been awarded the prestigious status and include the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, Stonehenge, Edinburgh and the castle walls of Gwynedd.
British sites are recognised alongside the likes of the Taj Mahal in India and the historic areas of Cairo, Egypt.
The list of sites is overseen by the United Nations and now five new sites in the UK and two in overseas territories could be added to the list.
Heritage Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said: “Today we are confirming our support for some of the most enchanting heritage sites and breathtaking landscapes in the UK and its overseas territories as they bid for Unesco World Heritage Site status.
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The Zenith of Iron Age Shetland is on the list of potential sites (PA)“All the locations being put forward would be worthy recipients of this accolade – and we will give them our full backing so they can benefit from the international recognition it can bring.”
Laura Davies, HM Ambassador to UNESCO, added: "These five sites brilliantly reflect the diversity and beauty of the UK and its Overseas Territories’ natural and cultural heritage, and I look forward to working with them towards World Heritage listing."
The proposed sites were confirmed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and include the city of York.
So where are the proposed sites?
York
York is one of the UK's most celebrated cities and brings in around seven million people every year.
The city boasts York Minster as well as Anglo-Saxon, Viking and Norman sites. The city can trace its roots back to before Roman times.
York Minster (PA)Keith Aspden, Leader of the City of York Council, said: "York is an outstanding example of continuous urban development over 2,000 years since its foundation as a Roman legionary fortress with evidence of every succeeding period on its urban development.
"The collection of medieval stained glass in York Minster and the historic parish churches in the city centre is unrivalled."
Gracehill Moravian Church Settlement
The Gracehill Moravian Church Settlement in Country Antrim, Northern Ireland applied for World Heritage statue earlier this year.
Near Ballymena, it is part of a joint bid with other Moravian religious sites in Denmark, the United States and Germany.
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The Ballymena Moravia site includes the Gracehill settlement (PA)The church hopes to bring attention to the site and the establishment of an international religious community.
The Ballymena Moravia site includes the Gracehill settlement.
Zenith of Iron Age Shetland
The Zenith of Iron Age Shetland represents a time of "dramatic cultural and architectural changes," according to UNESCO.
The site - a collection of three ancient settlements - has 'brochs', dry stone towers dating back 2,000 years, and represent a time when settlers were forced to build out of the sparse materials they had instead of using wood.
One of the brochs at the Zenith of Iron Age Shetland (PA)Shetland Amenity said: "Brochs are the crowning achievement of prehistoric people living in Northern Europe.
"Dating from around 400-200BC they represent complex engineering architectural solutions to creating multi-storied towers up to 13m high, within a treeless landscape."
Other remains date back around 4,000 years.
East Atlantic Flyway
The East Atlantic Flyway could be a unique addition to the UNESCO list, recognising the flight path of migrating birds.
This highway runs through the UK and connects sites as far apart as Siberia in Russia and Ellesmere Island in northeast Canada.
Wader flocks on The Wash, Snettisham, Norfolk, part of the East Atlantic Flyway (PA)Migrating birds may travel over the UK to warmer areas south such as South Africa.
Around 29 bird species use the pathway, according to the RSPB and can be seen flocking in areas on the coast of eastern England, like Norfolk.
The route also goes over Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Suffolk, Essex and Kent.
Little Cayman Marine Parks and Protected Areas
The DCMS said the area was put up for UNESCO status because of "their exceptional importance to marine biodiversity and their incredible natural beauty."
'Little Cayman, Cayman Islands, is a unique geological and ecological phenomenon,' (PA)Peter Hillenbrand, co-founder and board member of the Central Caribbean Marine Institute, Secretary of the Little Cayman District of the National Trust, said: "Little Cayman, Cayman Islands, is a unique geological and ecological phenomenon already recognised as a Mission Blue Hope spot, and this new acceptance will help bolster the legendary status of our marine environment.
"Our little island has been recognized locally with a National Conservation Law that protects 74.9% of our shoreline, out to 45.5m (150’) deep. Our sensitive wetlands, lagoons, mangrove forests and reefs are a source of pride and inspiration for all our island community, and our feelings and actions are largely dedicated to its preservation."
Birkenhead Park
Birkenhead Park opened in 1847 and was the first publicly-funded park in the world.
In 1842, the Liverpool Courier wrote that "Birkenhead will soon no longer be in the country" because industrialisation meant that "bricks and mortar are so fast taking the place of green fields, and sooty vapours are so thickly mingling with the fragrant breezes."
As a result, the park was proposed.
Birkenhead Park (PA)The 'People's Garden' was significant in its design that New York's world-famous Central Park was based on it.
David Armstrong, Assistant Chief Executive of Birkenhead Park, said: "Already Wirral residents hugely value Birkenhead Park and this is shown by the fact that it is visited by nearly two million people every year."
The Flow Country
The Flow Country in Caithness and Sutherland, Scotland, is one of two sites that submitted their full nominations to UNESCO earlier this year.
The Flow Country has been suggested as a potential World Heritage site since 1988 (Getty Images/iStockphoto)The area advertises itself as the "most intact and extensive blanket bog system in the world."
Rare birds and picturesque pools mean the area has been suggested as a potential World Heritage site since 1988.
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