C O N T E X T 1 1 2 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 9 11 MELANIE HALL Before listed buildings Before listing, historic buildings in England had been recorded and protected over the preceding century in the voluntarist sector, sometimes with state backing. The second world war, and aerial destruction on a massive scale, provided the pivotal impetus towards identifying specific buildings as worthy of protection by the state. Emergency lists were produced in 1940–42 to identify those buildings to which priority would be given for repair if damaged by enemy action. These were subsequently incorporated in the Town and Country Planning Acts of 1944 and 1947, when listed buildings officially began. However, listing did not happen in a vacuum. Recording and protecting historic buildings had been taking place over the preceding century in the voluntarist sector, sometimes with state backing. This emerged with the transformation in Britain’s urban and rural environment that occurred with widespread industrialisation and urbanisation. Interest in historic buildings as evidence for the past was fed by a growing desire for educational leisure, by tourism from home and abroad, and by international trends. A desire for social stability and sometimes housing design and urban planning, encouraged this interest in buildings from the past. While private individuals and amenity societies recognised the change, government in Britain was slow to act. Consequently, protecting historic buildings began in the voluntarist sector. The work of the fledgling National Trust for Places of Historic Interest and Natural Beauty, a very different organisation to today’s National Trust, deserves greater recognition in this area, as we shall see. This article considers several contexts that helped to build a constituency for protection and legislation. Interest in material evidence for the past grew as a specialised leisure pursuit. A more scholarly approach to recording ancient monuments and historic buildings developed within antiquarian, archaeological and arts societies. Regional and local antiquarian and archaeological societies flourished from the mid-19th century. Most published journals, and augmented the work of the well-established Society of Antiquaries. Initial attempts at protection focused on monuments, but came to little. The Antiquaries compiled a list of historical tombs and monuments worthy of protection in 1869–71, at the request of the First Commissioner of Works. The well-known advocate of art, architecture and beauty, John Ruskin, gave money to the Antiquaries to start a fund for architectural preservation, although that foundered. The (Royal) Society of Arts initiated the blue plaques scheme in 1866. Although the plaques marked buildings, the focus was biography. William Morris founded the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) in 1877, with a focus on ecclesiastical buildings, regional types, and craftsmanship. William Morris founded the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in 1877, with a focus on ecclesiastical buildings, regional types and craftsmanship. (Drawing: Rob Cowan) John Ruskin gave money to the Society of Antiquaries to start a fund for architectural preservation. (Drawing: Rob Cowan)
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