Please use the email to send us any link you think might interest other members.
National amenity societies preserve historic art and architecture and operate at a national level. In England, the six principal societies, known formally as the National Amenity Societies, are statutory consultees on alterations to listed buildings, and by law must be notified of any work to a listed building which involves any element of demolition.[Wikipedia]
These societies are:
The Society for the Protection of Ancient Building "believes old buildings have a future. From cottages to castles and from churches to cathedrals we are here to help buildings and the people who care for them. Based on years of experience and research we understand how old buildings work." https://www.spab.org.uk/
The the Institute of Historic Building Conservsation (IHBC) "is the professional body for building conservation practitioners and historic environment experts working in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with connections to the Republic of Ireland. The Institute exists to establish, develop and maintain the highest standards of conservation practice, to support the effective protection and enhancement of the historic environment, and to promote heritage-led regeneration and access to the historic environment for all." http://www.ihbc.org.uk/
The Ancient Monuments Society, since 2021 operating under the working name Historic Buildings & Places, "are champions historic buildings and places of all ages and all types and works to provide a sustainable future for them. We are also a National Amenity Society and as such we have a role as a Consultee on Listed Building Consent applications. Our organisation was previously known as the Ancient Monuments Society until October 2021 when we adopted Historic Buildings & Places as our working title. https://hbap.org.uk
The Council for British Archaeology,"The Council for British Archaeology (CBA) is a UK wide educational charity that helps champion and promote participation in archaeology. .... (it was) founded in 1944 as an independent champion for archaeology to combat the intense pressure on the historic environment from post-war redevelopment. Today, we aim to encourage public participation and to bring together community groups, commercial units, academics and heritage organisations to create and share opportunities to discover, take part and be inspired by archaeology." https://www.archaeologyuk.org/
The Georgian Group, concerned with buildings and planned landscapes dating from between 1700 and 1840. https://georgiangroup.org.uk/
The Victorian Society, concerned with buildings built from 1837 to 1914 (also covering Edwardian architecture). http://victoriansociety.org.uk/
The Twentieth Century Society, concerned with buildings dating from 1914 onwards. https://c20society.org.uk/
In addition to the above are societies which are not members of the committees. Such as, the Garden History Society is a statutory consultee in relation to planning proposals likely to affect registered historic parks and gardens. https://thegardenstrust.org/
Friends of Friendless Churches Friendless is a small charity that rescues and repairs redundant places of worship in England & Wales. https://friendsoffriendlesschurches.org.uk/
If you are reading this I shouldn't need to explain what The National Trust is. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
Details of the arrangements for handling heritage-related applications are laid out from time to time by the relevant Secretary of State, most recently by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government in 2021. This is who bodies such English Heritage report to. If you are reading this I shouldn't need to explain what English Heritage is. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/