The Thames Estuary has been the traditional entry point for imports and exports, both human and material, for centuries. Read more
Posts filed in: Listed places
20 years of saving heritage at risk
A celebration of 20 years of Heritage at Risk project which first started in 1998.Read more
6 historic sites to look out for during Notting Hill Carnival
It’s the 69th Notting Hill Carnival this weekend and the streets of Kensington and Chelsea will be full of Soca music, steel pan bands, sizzling Caribbean food stalls and an array of dazzling costumes and parade floats.Read more
7 Things you may not know about Listing
The List (of England’s heritage assets) is full of wonderful examples of our creativity, innovation and humour.Read more
Pass the popcorn: a brief introduction to cinemas
Here we take a quick look at how England’s love for film inspired the construction of many glamorous and decorative cinemas.Read more
8 Historic London Shopfronts
London streets are lined with colourful shops, clamouring for our attention. Many are of considerable age, and have survived for our enjoyment only through careful maintenance by generations of shopkeepers. Kathryn Morrison, Head of Historic Places Investigation, selects eight shopfronts that can be appreciated by anyone strolling along the pavements of London, and offer a glimpse into the city’s rich history as one of the world’s most exciting shopping centres. Presented chronologically, these shopfronts show how our shopping streets haveRead more
“I’m sorry but what is a Scheduled Monument?”
The well preserved remains of No. 1 Filling Factory at Barnbow, near Leeds, have today been granted Scheduled Monument status. Women made up the vast majority of the workforce, engaged in the incredibly dangerous work of filling shells for the western front including the Battle of the Somme. Jane Sidell, Inspector of Ancient Monuments for London at Historic England, sheds some light on the term and talks us through some of the fascinating scheduled monuments she’s come across. “I’m sorry butRead more
Jutland’s Surviving Warships
During the First World War, the British Navy dominated the sea, intercepting and detaining thousands of merchant ships carrying vital supplies bound for Germany and their allies. This month marks one hundred years since the British Royal Navy’s Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy’s High Seas Fleet met in the North Sea area west of Denmark’s Jutland Peninsula. What ensued was the largest naval battle of the First World War with over 100,000 sailors involved on 250 ships. MoreRead more
5 Things You Need to Know About Listing
Written by Emily Gee, Head of Listing Advice at Historic England 1. How did listing start? Listing emerged as a legal system of protecting England’s most precious buildings during the Second World War. The first lists were compiled as an emergency measure to identify what should be protected in post-war rebuilding. The next generation of more systematic lists on a geographical (parish) basis were heroic in their scale, but inevitably quite brief in their descriptions and often done from the road,Read more
A Brief Introduction to… Garden and Park Structures
Have you ever wondered about that grand mansion set into the hills of your local park or public garden? Perhaps there are the crumbling remnants of what looks like some kind of castle or fort? You may have considered where these structures came from and why they’re still there, existing in a seemingly original and potentially repurposed state. A large number of such structures are protected by listing, and when identified can tell a story about their locality and howRead more
