Is my building Listed?

You may well be asking yourself "Is my building Listed?" and "How will I find out?"

There are today almost half a million Listed Buildings across the country.  In the UK a listed building is one that has been included on The Statutory list of Special Architectural or Historic Interest.The List is compiled by the Department of Culture, Media & Sport, with the help of Historic England.

The concept of protecting important or historical buildings began due to World War II. The Town and Country Planning Act 1947 created the first list of buildings that were deemed to be significant enough to be rebuilt or repaired if they were damaged during air raids.

Most Listed Buildings are those in nearly their original condition. Listed status was given to most buildings built before 1700 and many built between 1700 & 1840. Today it is usual for a building to be over 30 years old to obtain Listed status.

During the late 1980’s a large number of buildings were added to the list after the demolition of the Firestone Factory, an Art Deco building, which caused outrage among the public. Since the end of the 1980’s the number of buildings added to the list has steadily decreased over the years.