Links: historic buildings and environment
Below are a series of useful links related to Conservation, Urban Design and Trees.
Please note the London Borough of Hackney accepts no responsibility for external websites.
Access to Archives
The A2A database contains catalogues describing archives held throughout England and dating from the 900s to the present day.
AIM25
AIM25 is a major project to provide electronic access to collection level descriptions of the archives of over fifty higher education institutions and learned societies within the greater London area.
Ancient Monuments Society
Founded in 1924 for the study and conservation of ancient monuments, historic buildings and fine old craftsmanship.
The Architectural Heritage Fund
The Architectural Heritage Fund, a national charity, was established to assist buildings preservation trusts and other charities with projects to preserve and adapt historic buildings for beneficial re-use. Financial assistance includes low interest loans and feasibility study grants.
The Charles Booth Online Archive
The Charles Booth Online Archive is a searchable resource giving access to archive material from the Booth collections of the British Library of Political and Economic Science (the Library of the London School of Economics and Political Science) and the University of London Library.
The archives of the British Library of Political and Economic Science contain the original records from Booth's survey into life and labour in London, dating from 1886-1903. The archives of the University of London Library contain Booth family papers from 1799 to 1967.
The British Brick Society
The Society, founded in 1972, promotes the study and recording of all aspects of the archaeology and history of bricks, brick-making and brickwork.
BBC History
The BBC History homepage is a portal to a vast amount of information covering Britain from 55BC to the present day.
British History Online
The digital library of text and information about people, places and businesses from the medieval and early modern period, built by the Institute of Historical Research and the History of Parliament Trust.
British Society of Master Glass Painters
The British Society of Master Glass Painters, founded in 1921, is Britain's only organisation devoted exclusively to the art and craft of stained glass.
British Stone
British Stone is the recognised marketing alliance for stone producers and processors in the UK.
Association of Building Preservation Trusts
APT, a national charity, represents over 180 building preservation trusts. Its remit is to encourage and assist them in expanding their capacity to preserve and re-use the built heritage.
Building Conservation
Building Conservation is the online version of The Building Conservation Directory, a full colour printed guide to UK specialist consultants, conservators and suppliers of products and services for the conservation of historic buildings.
Building Engineering Service Heritage Group
London Canal Museum
Exploring the history of London’s canals.
Church of England- Church Care
This website is a 'one-stop shop' for anyone involved in the running of a church. Church Care is brought to you by the Archbishops' Council, serving the parishes of the Church of England.
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust was set up to care for Church of England churches no longer needed for parish use. All our churches are architecturally or historically important with most Grade I or Grade II*.
Church Plans Online
The Incorporated Church Building Society was founded in 1818 to provide funds for the building and enlargement of Anglican churches throughout England and Wales. The Church Plans Online digitisation project is the culmination of a decade of research and work to make the ICBS archive more widely accessible. The project gives online access to the catalogue database and digitised images of the 13,000 plans in the archive.
Cinema Theatre Association
The Cinema Theatre Association campaigns for and studies historic cinema buildings.
Common Ground
Common Ground is recognised for playing a unique role in the arts and environmental fields, distinguished by the linking of nature with culture, focussing upon the positive investment people can make in their own localities, championing popular democratic involvement, and by inspiring celebration as a starting point for action to improve the quality of our everyday places.
The Construction History Society
The Society seeks to bring together people from a wide range of professional and academic disciplines who are all enthusiastic about Construction History.
COTAC
COTAC is a UK registered charity whose purpose is to improve the standard of education for everyone involved in building conservation
The Council for the Care of Churches
The Council is a permanent commission of the Church of England's governing body, the General Synod. Its principal duty is to assist parishes to maintain their church buildings, contents and churchyards. The Council publishes a wide range of specialist and general booklets on the care of churches and churchyards. It also advises on designs of new church buildings and encourages new works of art and furnishings. It maintains a Register of the work of artists and craftsmen interested in church work, and maintains a Library on church architecture and related subjects.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has policy responsibility for museums, galleries and libraries, the built heritage, the arts, sport, education, broadcasting and the media and tourism, as well as the creative industries, the Millennium and the National Lottery.
Derelict London
Derelict London illustrates neglected waterways, cemeteries, murals, vehicles, pubs, shops, disused tube stations, theatres, cinemas and other buildings. It is aimed at Londoners who enjoy finding out about different parts of the capital.
Docomomo International
International working party for the documentation and conservation of buildings, sites and neighbourhoods of the modern movement.
English Heritage
English Heritage is the Government's statutory advisory body on the historic environment. It also manages hundreds of historic sites and awards grants annually totaling £40M. The Website includes English Heritage's register of Grade I and II* buildings at risk.
The English Historic Towns Forum
EHTF explores the issues impacting on historic towns, offering support and guidance on conservation area management, traffic and visitor management, urban regeneration and design, and other planning issues.
European Visual Archive
EVA gives access to the historical photograph collections of a number of European archives. Currently about 20.000 images are available.
Every Generation
Every Generation is an online community resource to the black community to facilitate the personal development and empowerment of young people and to bridge the gap with the older generation through history, family genealogy and heritage.
The Friends of Friendless Churches
The Friends was set up in 1957 by a proud Welshman called Ivor Bulmer-Thomas to save disused but beautiful old places of worship, of architectural and historic interest, from destruction and demolition. They have already saved some one hundred historic churches, and have accepted direct responsibility for twenty-eight which would otherwise have been demolished, including ten in Wales.
The Friends of War Memorials
Dedicated to preserving the National Heritage of our War Memorials of every sort forever. Now known as the War Memorials Trust.
The Georgian Group
The Group was founded to combat a rising tide of demolitions of Georgian buildings in London. It campaigns for the proper preservation of Georgian buildings in England and Wales and promotes the enjoyment and understanding of Georgian architecture.
Heritage Counts
Heritage Counts is the annual State of the Historic Environment Report. It contains an audit of the nation’s heritage – including vital statistics on how much of our historic environment survives, what condition it is in, and how well it is being used and looked after. It also contains new research and analysis carried out by a wide range of heritage organisations, to illustrate particular themes and concerns.
Heritage Information
A charitable trust that is a national resource for the care of heritage assets: including information on people, news, jobs, books, education.
Heritage Link
Heritage Link brings people together who care about our heritage to formulate policy, influence opinion and achieve change on issues of common concern. We aim to do this through undertaking research, gathering data, marshalling arguments and deploying all of these through intelligent lobbying where they are likely to have most impact. We also act as a hub through which information is shared between our members.
The Heritage of London Trust
The Heritage of London Trust is the only building preservation trust which covers all 33 London Boroughs. The Trust's overall objective is to offer support to applicants in the London Boroughs who are seeking funds to restore heritage and architectural projects.
The Heritage Lottery Fund
The aim of the Heritage Lottery Fund is to safeguard and enhance the heritage of the United Kingdom. Using proceeds from The National Lottery, the Fund supports projects that will provide lasting improvements to the quality of life for every one in the United Kingdom. The site includes information on how to apply for grants.
Heritage Open Days
Heritage Open Days celebrates England's architecture and culture by allowing visitors free access to interesting properties that are either not usually open, or would normally charge an entrance fee. Heritage Open Days also includes tours, events and activities that focus on local architecture and culture. Heritage Open Days are usually in September, with places all over England taking part.
The Historic Chapels Trust
The Historic Chapels Trust has been established to take into ownership redundant chapels and other places of worship in England of outstanding architectural and historic interest. Our object is to secure for public benefit the preservation, repair and maintenance of our buildings including their contents, burial grounds and curtilages.
Historic Environment: Local Management
This site gives access an extensive range of guidance to help you manage historic buildings, archaeology and landscapes in your local area. Use this site to improve your knowledge, obtain technical advice or find training activities near you.
Images of England
Images of England is a groundbreaking heritage initiative run by the National Monuments Record, the public archive of English Heritage. The project is making a photographic record of every Listed Building in England at the turn of the millennium to place on the internet. Each of the 370,000 images are being matched to accompanying written architectural descriptions of the buildings, to create what will be one of the largest free picture libraries in the world.
Institute of Historic Building Conservation
IHBC is the professional body for conservation practitioners in the UK. Its 1400 members work in local and central government, the private sector and conservation organisations. It sets standards for conservation practice, promotes training and lobbies on conservation issues.
The International Council on Monuments & Sites
ICOMOS is an international non-governmental body of conservation professionals. It sets standards of conservation philosophy and techniques and advises UNESCO on World Heritage Sites. In the UK it works for higher standards in conservation and international education and has responsibility for the 15 UK World Heritage Sites.
Jewish Heritage UK
Jewish Heritage UK cares for the Jewish Community's historic architecture, synagogues, cemeteries and collections
London Ancestor
Data for Genealogy and Local History in Greater London and the UK, containing extracts and transcripts from newspapers, maps, manuscripts, directories, and other out of print material, excluding census, mostly pre 1880. Free, unrestricted access, for researchers and genealogists.
London Topographical Society
The London Topographical Society, was founded in 1880. It concentrates exclusively on publishing books and sheet material illustrating the history, growth and topography of London.
Maintain our Heritage
Maintain our Heritage was formed in 1999 to promote a new, long-term, sustainable strategy for the care of historic buildings with pre-eminence given to maintenance rather than sporadic major repair.
Museum of London
The Museum of London is the largest city museum in the world, telling the fascinating story of London from prehistoric times to the present day.
National Federation of Cemetery Friends
Groups of volunteers dedicated to preserving their local cemeteries
National Register of Archives
The NRA contains information on the nature and location of manuscripts and historical records that relate to British history.
Pastscape
This online resource from English Heritage’s National Monuments Record (NMR) provides an easy-to-use way to find information about many of England's ancient and historical sites, buildings and monuments. The information within PastScape is taken directly from the NMR's national historic environment database containing nearly 400,000 records on the archaeology and buildings of England and its territorial waters.
Pevsner Architectural Guides
The Pevsner Architectural Guides (Buildings of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), published by Penguin Books, were begun in 1951 by the architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner (1902-83) with the aim of providing an up-to-date portable guide to the most significant buildings in every part of the country. They are the leading architectural guide and a unique resource.
The Phoenix Trust
The purpose of the Phoenix Trust is to acquire, repair and find new uses for major historic buildings which might otherwise fall into decay or face demolition, for the benefit of the communities in which they stand, and the public at large.
photoLondon
London's libraries, museums and archives possess a treasure house of modern and historic photographs of London. The photoLondon website exists to highlight and promote these collections.
The Pilgrim Trust Conservation Awards
These Awards celebrate excellence in conservation and restoration projects
Played in Britain
Sporting heritage and history.
The Public Monuments and Sculpture Association
The PMSA aims to heighten public appreciation of Britain's public sculpture, and to contribute to its preservation, protection and promotion.
Regeneration Through Heritage
RTH was established by Business in the Community at the request of its president HRH The Prince of Wales to assist community groups and local partnerships identify new economically sustainable uses for vacant or underused important industrial buildings. This is an excellent site with examples of converted industrial buildings from all over the UK.
RIBApix
RIBApix is a growing database, providing images from the collections of the British Architectural Library at the Royal Institute of British Architects, the world’s most extensive visual archive devoted to architecture.
Risky Buildings
A web site set up by the Twentieth Century Society highlighting modern buildings at risk.
Royal Commission on the Historic Monuments of England
Now part of English Heritage
Sapling Heritage Gateway
Sapling Heritage Gateway features links to heritage and conservation-related organisations, campaigns, resources, research and businesses on the web, with each site rated and reviewed by Sapling's editors.
SAVE Britain's Heritage
A charity campaigning for Britain's threatened historic buildings.
Scottish Lime Centre Trust
Address : Scottish Lime Centre, The Schoolhouse, Rocks Road, Charlestown, Fife, Scotland, KY11 3EN
The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
The SPAB was founded by William Morris and others in 1877 as the first national conservation campaign group. The SPAB's conservation policy has remained the underpinning of UK conservation to this day. SPAB has a formal role in the listed building consent process and has a vital role training architects and owners in the correct repair and care for historic buildings.
Stone Federation Great Britain
The natural stone industry trade association.
The Theatres Trust
The Theatres Trust was established to 'promote the better protection of theatres'
The Twentieth Century Society
The Twentieth Century Society exists to safeguard the heritage of architecture and design in Britain from 1914 onwards.
United Kingdom Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
The Victorian Society
The Victorian Society exists to prevent the needless demolition of Victorian and Edwardian buildings of architectural interest and to promote public understanding and appreciation of the architecture and decorative arts of the period. It has a formal role in listed building consent procedure.
Victorian Web
Victorian history
ViewFinder
ViewFinder is a new online image resource for England's history. The Picture Gallery and Stories contain illustrations of the industrial age, social history (including the Henry W Taunt Collection), architecture and archaeology, dating from the 1840s to the present day.
The War Memorials Trust
Dedicated to preserving the National Heritage of our War Memorials of every sort forever.
The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust
The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust offers Fellowships to men and women from all walks of life, including conservation and crafts backgrounds, to acquire knowledge and experience abroad.
Page updated: 21 Dec 2007