Cherishing our ‘protected’ past
There are apparently still more buildings in England that are over 100 years old than have been built in the last century. Some of these old buildings are included in a list of buildings of historical or architectural interest and are therefore known as Listed Buildings. Local architect Peter Ayley, pictured, won the privileged scholarship from the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings 30 years ago, to study the philosophy and techniques for the repair of historic buildings. Here, he describes the Listed Buildings idea in relation to the classified buildings in Scarborough
One thing that is certain is that the marvellous medieval churches and cathedrals of England will one day resemble the stumps of rubble of Scarborough Castle. This might or might not take a Civil War or religious upheaval and it might or might not take a few hundred years.
In the meantime, we collectively believe that it is worth keeping these buildings and other structures of architectural or historical value and have created a list in order to help protect them: the Listed Buildings of England.
It is mostly age which guarantees a place on this list, but it is also quality, so there are buildings on the list built post-war, such as the Royal Festival Hall in London. Being on the List means that any proposed changes or (heaven forbid!) an intention to demolish, requires consent from the Local Authority who seek advice from national bodies with the appropriate expertise.
The List came into being after the destruction of so many fine old buildings during the Second World War, though there is a well-known anecdote that 1960s town plans destroyed more old buildings than the Luftwaffe. The major threat today is again development: why keep a nice outdated fourstorey building when you can build a block of ‘luxury apartments’ on a site?
Demolition of a Listed Building is a rare proposal these days, perhaps due to an enhanced appreciation in general of our history and most proposals are to make changes of some kind. Most existing buildings require no more than a Planning Application for certain changes, but for a Listed Building, much more detail needs to be given at the same time for any changes.
It is a misconception that you cannot make changes to a Listed Building – in fact the requirement is that proposed changes are well thought through and the case for changes properly presented. For example, many churches now have toilets, a coffee bar and a crêche within the churches themselves, as at Grade I St Mary’s, making them effective community
halls. The way that this is done can be more or less successful and sometimes no Listed Building Consent will be given because the proposals are not adequately developed and perhaps damage more historic fabric that a better idea could avoid.
It is well understood that buildings are maintained better when they are in active use, so a new use for an old building is often seen as a means for its healthy survival (for example the project to create a café and public hall in the Dean Road Mortuary Chapel). Often, a good transformation of an abandoned building will be far more interesting than a new building in its place.
A rarely discussed aspect of Listed Building protection is the building technology involved. Cement is inappropriate for almost all buildings built prior to the First World War and its ubiquitous use for a century has not only produced uncomfortably damp buildings, but cement causes the decay of other fabric (particularly timber) because it blocks the free passage of water vapour. Lime is the material to use for masonry work and renders, not cement - actually,even for new buildings. The techniques and materials need to be detailed in an application for work on a Listed Building.
Craftsmanship is considered expensive these days and while it may be cheaper for us to put in a pvc-framed window instead of one in timber, it will be most likely be in the rubbish tip in 20 years’ time, together with its failed double-glazing unit. Meanwhile, a timber sash is infinetly repairable – a lot of Scarborough sashes have lasted eight times as long as a cheap pvc window-frame and this is a good example of why there are constraints on changes and of course it is far more ecologically sound, something often overlooked.
While technical integrity is essential, external appearance will always attract most attention. Perhaps this is because the 1947 survey which created the original list, was done from the public domain, so there was no access to the interiors.
During the re-survey of the 1980s, some extraordinary finds were made – totally intact 14th-century roof trusses in oak, for example – and this was mainly due to building owners having a greater interest in their buildings as history and permitting access. There will
‘While technical integrity is essential, external appearance will always attract most attention’
remain buildings out there which would ordinarily be listed, but if the owner does not allow access ...
At Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, there is a situation in the tax system which does nothing to help us maintain buildings. Quite simply put, when certain types of new buildings are constructed, there is NO VAT due on the building work. However, when you pay for maintenance on an existing building or carry out building work on it, there is the VAT to pay. In some cases of a propped facade and a total re-build behind (which seems to be the default compromise for obtaining planning permission) the repair work to the facade attracts VAT while the new-build behind pays NO VAT!
For decades, there has been a now-very-tired campaign to change this situation, the suggestion being that the work to a Listed Building that is granted Consent should pay NO VAT in order to encourage the work at the standard required and make it financially equal to a replacement building.
Listed Buildings are classed according to their cultural value and in Scarborough there are only four of the best, the Grade I (two of them churches, St Mary’s and St Martin’s) and only 24 Grade II* – two-star. Rather than a simple 1, 2 and 3 or A, B and C, the classification is a rather ungainly Grades I, II* and II.
Most old towns have far more medieval buildings than Scarborough, but because the Civil War was so destructive here, there are only six listed buildings dating from before 1714. The buildings between 1800 and the arrival of the railway in 1845 form the body of the Listed Buildings.
The List, which is of course publicly available (historicengland.org.uk), describes what is particular about each listed building. You might correctly imagine that the Spa, the Grand Hotel and the Rotunda Museum are in the Grade II* category, but within the also-rans, the 252 Grade II, you will find bits of wall, railings, telephone boxes and the Falsgrave signal box with its 120 levers still in place which operated the signals manually – the present ‘vandalproof ’ cladding now also has Listed Building protection! The Clock Café and the timber changing huts which are about to be demolished after a landslip are also in this category. The Historic England listing entries were (and most remain) a kind of architectural shorthand, describing the essential parts of the buildings very succinctly. Recently however, there has been a move to popularize the List so that anybody can contribute – rather like Wikipedia. This introduces an inconsistency between entries and a lot of waffle. This is a pity, but worse, the website is not public-friendly at all, which contradicts the idea of getting amateurs to contribute.
The Listed Buildings are the remnants of our past that can open a window on to an appreciation of the history of Scarborough – an inheritance that we all have without the need for a rich uncle.