SAVE Britain's Heritage
Encyclopedia
SAVE Britain's Heritage has been described as the most influential conservation group to have been established since William Morris
founded the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
in 1877. It was created in 1975 - European Architectural Heritage Year - by a group of journalists, historians, architects, and planners to campaign publicly for endangered historic buildings. Through press releases, leaflets, reports, books and exhibitions, SAVE champions the cause of decaying country houses, redundant churches and chapels, disused mills and warehouses, blighted streets and neighbourhoods, cottages and town halls, railway stations, hospitals, military buildings and asylums.
From the start, SAVE has always placed a special emphasis on the possibilities of alternative uses for historic buildings and has, on a number of occasions, prepared its own schemes for re-use of threatened buildings. On repeated occasions SAVE’s proposals have been instrumental in giving threatened buildings a renewed lease of life.
SAVE is also very active on the broader issues of preservation
policy. Many of SAVE's campaigns have altered the way conservation
now protects Britain’s built heritage. SAVE’s attack on insensitive shop fronts contained guidelines now adopted by many local planning authorities and SAVE was the first organisation to campaign for the introduction of the Thirty Year Rule which now makes outstanding post-war buildings in England and Wales eligible for listing. SAVE is a registered charity
governed by a board of Trustees.
SAVE was instrumental in saving buildings such as:
It is not always successful. Its campaign in 1977 to 1978 to save Mentmore Towers
and its collection for the nation failed; it was unable to stop the demolition of historic buildings in the City of London
to make way for No 1 Poultry
, and could not prevent the disposal of the interior of the Baltic Exchange
which had been damaged by a Provisional Irish Republican Army
bomb in 1992. It is currently campaigning to save the General Market Buildings of Smithfield Market on Farringdon Road
and the Royal Aircraft Establishment
in Farnborough
.
It has also established charitable trusts to restore:
SAVE Britain's Heritage has published many campaigning books and leaflets, including The Concrete Jerusalem (1976), Elysian gardens (1979), Vanishing London: A catalogue of decay (1979), The Fall of Zion (1980), The Country House: to be or not to be (1982), Estates Villages who cares? (1983), Crisis at Saltaire (1986), Pavilions in peril (1987), Bright future: the reuse of industrial buildings (1990), Stop the destruction of Bucklesbury (1992), Beacons of learning (1995), Mind over matter (1995), Silence in Court (2004), and The Guildhall Testimonial (2006), advocating the preservation and reuse of, amongst other things, nonconformist chapels, redundant Anglican churches, Victorian mental hospitals, country houses, their gardens and outbuildings, and industrial buildings. It also publishes an action guide, to assist campaigners with setting up their own groups to advocate the case for particular buildings. It maintains an electronic register of around 700 "buildings at risk", and publishes a paper version of the register annually.
An exhibition highlighting the first 30 years of its work was held at the Victoria and Albert Museum
in 2005.
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
founded the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings was founded by William Morris, Philip Webb and J.J.Stevenson, and other notable members of the Pre Raphaelite brotherhood, in 1877, to oppose what they saw as the insensitive renovation of ancient buildings then occurring in Victorian...
in 1877. It was created in 1975 - European Architectural Heritage Year - by a group of journalists, historians, architects, and planners to campaign publicly for endangered historic buildings. Through press releases, leaflets, reports, books and exhibitions, SAVE champions the cause of decaying country houses, redundant churches and chapels, disused mills and warehouses, blighted streets and neighbourhoods, cottages and town halls, railway stations, hospitals, military buildings and asylums.
From the start, SAVE has always placed a special emphasis on the possibilities of alternative uses for historic buildings and has, on a number of occasions, prepared its own schemes for re-use of threatened buildings. On repeated occasions SAVE’s proposals have been instrumental in giving threatened buildings a renewed lease of life.
SAVE is also very active on the broader issues of preservation
Preservation
Preservation may refer to:* Heritage preservation:** Historic preservation, of buildings, monuments, etc.** Preservation , of books, recordings, etc.** Conservation , of the natural environment...
policy. Many of SAVE's campaigns have altered the way conservation
Architectural conservation
Architectural conservation describes the process through which the material, historical, and design integrity of mankind's built heritage are prolonged through carefully planned interventions. The individual engaged in this pursuit is known as an architectural conservator...
now protects Britain’s built heritage. SAVE’s attack on insensitive shop fronts contained guidelines now adopted by many local planning authorities and SAVE was the first organisation to campaign for the introduction of the Thirty Year Rule which now makes outstanding post-war buildings in England and Wales eligible for listing. SAVE is a registered charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
governed by a board of Trustees.
SAVE was instrumental in saving buildings such as:
- Calke AbbeyCalke AbbeyCalke Abbey is a Grade I listed country house near Ticknall, Derbyshire, England, in the care of the charitable National Trust.The site was an Augustinian priory from the 12th century until its dissolution by Henry VIII...
in DerbyshireDerbyshireDerbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
— acquired by the National TrustNational Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural BeautyThe National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
in 1983 - Northington GrangeNorthington GrangeNorthington Grange is a mansion near New Alresford, Hampshire, England. It is owned by Lord Ashburton's family and is under the guardianship of English Heritage. The exterior of the building is open to the public and the village of Northington is nearby...
in HampshireHampshireHampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
— the surviving parts were acquired and restored by English HeritageEnglish HeritageEnglish Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport... - Peninsula Barracks in WinchesterWinchesterWinchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
— converted to private residential use in 1998 - TyntesfieldTyntesfieldTyntesfield is a Victorian Gothic Revival estate near Wraxall, North Somerset, England, near Nailsea, seven miles from Bristol.The house was acquired by the National Trust in June 2002 after a fund raising campaign to prevent it being sold to private interests and ensure it be opened to the public...
— acquired by the National TrustNational Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural BeautyThe National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
in 2002
It is not always successful. Its campaign in 1977 to 1978 to save Mentmore Towers
Mentmore Towers
Mentmore Towers is a 19th century English country house in the village of Mentmore in Buckinghamshire. The house was designed by Joseph Paxton and his son-in-law, George Henry Stokes, in the revival Elizabethan and Jacobean style of the late 16th century called Jacobethan, for the banker and...
and its collection for the nation failed; it was unable to stop the demolition of historic buildings in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
to make way for No 1 Poultry
No 1 Poultry
No 1 Poultry is an office and retail building in London. It was designed by James Stirling for a site then owned by developer Peter Palumbo, and first assembled by Palumbo's father Rudolph in the 1960's...
, and could not prevent the disposal of the interior of the Baltic Exchange
Baltic Exchange
The Baltic Exchange is the world's only independent source of maritime market information for the trading and settlement of physical and derivative contracts...
which had been damaged by a Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
bomb in 1992. It is currently campaigning to save the General Market Buildings of Smithfield Market on Farringdon Road
Farringdon Road
Farringdon Road is a road in Clerkenwell, Central London. Its construction, which took almost 20 years between the 1840s and the 1860s, is considered one of the greatest urban engineering achievements of the nineteenth century...
and the Royal Aircraft Establishment
Royal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment , was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence , before finally losing its identity in mergers with other institutions.The first site was at Farnborough...
in Farnborough
Farnborough, Hampshire
-History:Name changes: Ferneberga ; Farnburghe, Farenberg ; Farnborowe, Fremborough, Fameborough .Tower Hill, Cove: There is substantial evidence...
.
It has also established charitable trusts to restore:
- All Souls Church, HalifaxAll Souls Church, HalifaxAll Souls Church, Halifax, is a redundant Anglican church in Haley Hill, Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.-Early history:...
— a church by George Gilbert ScottGeorge Gilbert ScottSir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses... - Bank HallBank HallBank Hall is a Jacobean mansion south of the village of Bretherton in Lancashire, England. It is a Grade II* Listed Building. The hall was built on the site of a previous building in 1608 during the reign of James I by the Banastre family who were Lords of the Manor. It was extended during the 18th...
, BrethertonBrethertonBretherton is a small village and civil parish in the Borough of Chorley, Lancashire, England situated to the south west of Leyland and east of Tarleton. Its name suggests pre-conquest origins and its early history was closely involved with the manor house Bank Hall and the families who lived there...
— a Jacobean mansion, built from handmade brick for the Bannastre Family in 1608. - Barlaston HallBarlaston HallBarlaston Hall is an English Palladian country house in the village of Barlaston in Staffordshire, overlooking the valley of the River Trent south of Stoke-on-Trent . It was bought by the Wedgwood pottery company in 1931, but disrepair and subsidence due to coal mining brought the hall close to...
in StaffordshireStaffordshireStaffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
— a Palladian villa by Sir Robert Taylor - 6 Palace Street — the oldest building in CaernarfonCaernarfonCaernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
outside the castleCaernarfon CastleCaernarfon Castle is a medieval building in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. There was a motte-and-bailey castle in the town of Caernarfon from the late 11th century until 1283 when King Edward I of England began replacing it with the current stone structure...
SAVE Britain's Heritage has published many campaigning books and leaflets, including The Concrete Jerusalem (1976), Elysian gardens (1979), Vanishing London: A catalogue of decay (1979), The Fall of Zion (1980), The Country House: to be or not to be (1982), Estates Villages who cares? (1983), Crisis at Saltaire (1986), Pavilions in peril (1987), Bright future: the reuse of industrial buildings (1990), Stop the destruction of Bucklesbury (1992), Beacons of learning (1995), Mind over matter (1995), Silence in Court (2004), and The Guildhall Testimonial (2006), advocating the preservation and reuse of, amongst other things, nonconformist chapels, redundant Anglican churches, Victorian mental hospitals, country houses, their gardens and outbuildings, and industrial buildings. It also publishes an action guide, to assist campaigners with setting up their own groups to advocate the case for particular buildings. It maintains an electronic register of around 700 "buildings at risk", and publishes a paper version of the register annually.
An exhibition highlighting the first 30 years of its work was held at the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
in 2005.