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When the SPAB was established in 1877 there was no conservation legislation to speak of which led to some truly sad losses of buildings and monuments. After campaigns by the Society and various other conservation-minded individuals, the first Ancient Monuments Act was introduced which recognised the need for governmental administration on the protection of ancient monuments. This legislative move was attacked in Parliament as “an invasion of the rights of property… in order to gratify the antiquarian tastes of the few at the public expense” By 1930 there were still only 3000 designated monuments and all were unoccupied buildings. Despite the Act, devastating losses and destruction were still occurring. Eventually, a combination of high-profile demolitions and WWII losses emphasised the vulnerability of old buildings and the need to do something. With mounting pressure to protect old buildings, the 1947 Town and Country Planning Act introduced national listing.

Initially, listing was not so much a strict protection as a device for identifying what should be considered in redevelopment plans. Consequently in the 1950s, buildings could still readily be demolished even when listed.

Today we have a much more robust and well-administered system of heritage protection. As part of this system, Historic England and Local authorities designate different types of heritage assets. The following is a short guide to each of those different categories.

This page describes the current legislative and policy framework which protects the historic environment.

A listed building is a building, object or structure that has been judged to be of national importance by virtue of its special architectural or historic interest. Listing, sometimes also referred to as 'designation', is the act of identifying nationally important heritage sites and affording them special protection through the planning system. The purpose of listing is to introduce a higher degree of protection.

Tracing the history of a building can be very rewarding. The more you know about an old building the more likely you are to value it, appreciate its oddities, and make sensible changes that respect its history. However we would strongly urge you not to start ripping off wall plaster or undertaking other destructive investigations in your understandable enthusiasm for finding out more about the building. Far too much permanent damage has been done by this misguided urge. Also beware: the SPAB was founded because of highly destructive attempts to restore buildings back to some former period.

Use your knowledge of the history of the building to respect its history not to attempt to restore it to its "original" state which can end up creating an unsatisfactory fake. If you can afford the time, research the history before you decide on major works - you may well change your ideas as you learn more and avoid mistakes you will later regret. The more time you spend simply looking at the building, the more likely you are to understand how it developed. But remember, even the best experts in the world may not be able to explain why some odd piece of stone sticks out or why something is the way it is.

You can research the history of your house yourself, or you can employ professional architectural historians. The SPAB does not provide this service. If your building is listed a good starting point can be the "list description" which gives the best official estimate of the date of your house and why it is listed. However many entries are very brief. Be cautious about what the estate agent, previous owners, or local people tell you about the history. All sorts of local myths persist, such as the fact that timber-framed buildings were constructed from former ships' timbers. (In fact timbers from other dismantled buildings were often re-used but rarely from ships). Also remember that datestones can be misleading - they may refer to only one phase of building, or in some instances may be the result of romantic Victorian imagination.

There are plenty of books about the history of buildings suitable for the beginner, as well as others which will allow you to trace the social as well as the architectural story of your house. With the help of local history collections as well as national sources such as the census records it is often possible to identify previous occupants of your building.

Are you thinking of buying an old building for the first time? While we warmly encourage people to make an old building their home, it’s easy to be swept away by romance. Here we offer a checklist of key considerations to help potential buyers make the right choice – both for themselves and for the building of their dreams.