SPAB's War (non-members)

8 November 2018, 18.15 - 20.30

In addition to its devastating human cost, the First World War caused damage and destruction of historic buildings and places on a staggering scale. Throughout the War, architectural damage was among the factors that motivated people to fight and to serve. It is a powerful theme in poetry,

War reporting, war art, photography and propaganda, and gave rise to campaigns for the protection of historic places and objects in wartime which still resonate today.  The War also prompted commemoration of the dead and the missing on a scale never seen before, and left an architectural   legacy that encompassed salvaging what had been damaged; reconstruction and reinstatement; novel forms of building to serve the war effort; and new work to replace what had been lost, which shaped the post-war environment.

The SPAB’s reports from the war years and afterward record the Society’s views and actions, and its archive of casework and campaign files are a rich source of material illustrating the SPAB’s position at the heart of concerns about war damage, the human and architectural impacts of the War, and the movement to create memorials. 

Booking Terms & Conditions

Accessibility: please contact the SPAB before booking to discuss any special access requirements.