Buildings are selected for listing by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), advised by English Heritage. The detailed criteria are contained within a DCMS document
Principles of Selection for Listing Buildings, which can be viewed on the
DCMS web site. Much more detailed guidelines are available on the
English Heritage web site.
Broadly, the criteria applied are:
Architectural or Historic Interest
- To be of special architectural interest a building must be of importance in its architectural design, decoration or craftsmanship; special interest may also apply to nationally important examples of particular building types and techniques (e.g. buildings displaying technological innovation or virtuosity) and significant plan forms.
- To be of special historic interest a building must illustrate important aspects of the nation’s social, economic, cultural, or military history and/or have close historical associations with nationally important people. There should normally be some quality of interest in the physical fabric of the building itself to justify the statutory protection afforded by listing.
Age:
- All buildings built before 1700 which survive in anything like their original condition are listed.
-
Most buildings built between 1700 and 1840 are listed, though selection is necessary.
-
After 1840, because of the greatly increased number of buildings erected and the much larger numbers that have survived, progressively greater selection is necessary.
-
After 1945, particularly careful selection is required.
- buildings less than 30 years old are normally listed only if they are of outstanding quality and under threat.
