Gosfield Hall, Essex was the first building to be listed as being of special architectural interest, on 1 August 1946.
Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons
In England and Wales, an amenity society is an organisation which monitors the planning and development of listed buildings and other structures, tasked with preserving historic art and architecture. The Scottish Civic Trust and the Scottish Architectural Heritage Society fill a similar role in Scotland.[1]
In particular, any work to a listed building that involves an element of demolition must by law be notified to the relevant amenity societies.[2][a]The Town and Country Planning Act 1968.[1]
Known formally as The National Amenity Societies, to distinguish them from local interest groups, they are:[1]
- The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
- The Ancient Monuments Society, since 2021 operating under the working name Historic Buildings & Places
- The Council for British Archaeology
- The Georgian Group, concerned with buildings and planned landscapes dating from between 1700 and 1840
- The Victorian Society, concerned with buildings built from 1837 to 1914 (also covering Edwardian architecture)
- The Twentieth Century Society, concerned with buildings dating from 1914 onwards
- The Garden History Society, concerned with the protection and conservation of historic parks, gardens and designed landscapes