The Twentieth Century Society, founded in 1979 as The Thirties Society, is a British charity that campaigns for the preservation of architectural heritage from 1914 onwards. It is one of the National Amenity SocietiesOrganisation tasked with monitoring the planning and development of listed structures., in which capacity it is a statutory consultee on alterations to listed buildings within its period of interest if they involve any degree of demolition.[1][2]
The catalyst for the society’s formation was the proposal to replace Lloyd’s of London’s Classical-style 1928 headquarters with a new, modernist, Richard Rogers building. Marcus Binney (founder of Save Britain’s Heritage), John Harris (director of the RIBA drawings collection) and Simon Jenkins (editor of London’s Evening Standard) felt that the existing building “represented a whole body of important architecture of the period that deserved more sympathetic assessment”.[2] Ultimately the entrance to the 1928 building was retained and incorporated into Rogers’ 1986 design.[3]
The society’s original aim had been to protect the architectural heritage of the 1920s and ’30s, but as it became increasingly apparent that post-1939 structures were also at risk, it was decided in 1992 to change the society’s name to The Twentieth Century Society, to reflect its broadening interest.[2]
