A public consultation has led to a change in the planned uses of a renovated listed building in Norfolk. BBC News reports that the proposals for the 17th century Custom House in King’s Lynn have been adapted to align with the opinions of local residents.  The historic building was renovated as part of the wider efforts to revamp the town’s waterfront. It was originally built as a merchant’s exchange in 1683, before converting to a custom house in the early 18th century. It is constructed in the classical style, and is considered to be an outstanding national example of its type. The strik ..read more

The public were able to get a first look at the superbly restored Rochdale Town Hall this month. The Grade I listed building has undergone a stunning restoration programme, thanks to a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Over 2,500 members of the public queued to survey the results of the four-year renovation project. ITV News reports that the town hall, which opened in 1871, is one of the finest examples of Victorian public buildings in the country. Rochdale was a very wealthy town at the height of the industrial revolution in the 19th century thanks to the textile industry, and it ..read more

A £9m restoration plan for a Grade II listed building in Blackburn has been approved. The Exchange was built in 1865 in the Victorian gothic style to serve as a cotton exchange during the town’s heyday at the height of the North west’s textile industry.  The Lancashire Telegraph reports that Darwen Council have granted permission for the upgrade of the heritage building on King William Street. The approval is granted with a set of conditions that are intended to preserve the original character of the building. The interior is decayed, including historic plasterwork that is in a poor condi ..read more

Ceiling roses are a common feature of historical homes, particularly from the Victorian and Georgian eras. If you are lucky enough to own a period property with an original plasterwork feature, you may have considered having it restored to its former glory. This takes highly specialised skills and materials, so it’s best to leave it to the professionals. Contrary to popular belief, ceiling roses are not just for period properties. They can be fitted to any style of property, adding a touch of charm and sophistication to the decor. They can even be the focal point of the room if you want to go ..read more

St Bartholomew’s Hospital, known colloquially as Barts, is the oldest functioning hospital in Britain. It was founded an astonishing 900 years ago in 1123 by a courtier of King Henry I, and has been the site of many important medical discoveries. It is also a building of architectural merit, and has undergone some extensive renovation works.  The hospital still stands at its original site in West Smithfield, London, having survived the Great Fire of London in 1666, and later on the Blitz during the Second World War. The hospital was originally part of a Priory that was closed during the d ..read more

Homeowners who want to upgrade the energy efficiency of historic homes will find the process easier after the government published new plans.  In a press release, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities gave details of the plans, which will allow low carbon heating improvements to be made to older homes of architectural interest. Listed building restoration projects are carefully regulated to protect the heritage of the nation, and avoid unsightly or inappropriate changes being made that would damage the original character of the building and its surroundings.  Howev ..read more

The Portico Library in Manchester, a Grade II listed building, has been awarded a £453,000 restoration grant by the The National Lottery Heritage Fund. BBC News reports that the funds will be used to transform the ground floor into a community space, while the upper floors will have architectural and heritage features restored or conserved.  The city centre library on Mosley Street was built in 1806 as part of the so-called ‘information revolution’ that was sweeping across Europe. It was initially an independent subscription library and newsroom. The idea was inspired by the Athenaeum in ..read more

The Art Nouveau movement of the late 19th and early 20th century encompassed art, architecture and interior decoration. It was most often inspired by natural forms such as the flowing lines of plants and flowers. In terms of architecture, it tended towards materials such as iron, glass, ceramics and concrete.  The first houses in the Art Nouveau style were created in Brussels in the 1890s, and later they began to appear in Paris. The movement peaked around 1900 and by this time its influence was seen throughout Europe, including Britain. There are still some beautiful Art Nouveau style bu ..read more

Historic England has revealed the latest additions to its ‘Heritage At Risk Register.’ This is the annual round-up of historic sites and structures in England that it considers to be most at risk of being permanently lost as a result of neglect, decay, or inappropriate development. 159 buildings have been added to the register during the past year. There are now a total of 4,871 entries on the list, with 203 being rescued and preserved since 2022. One of the new candidates for restoration is the Grade II* listed building Holbeche House in the West Midlands, which is noted for being the site wh ..read more

A listed building is a building that is included on a statutory list because it is considered to be of special architectural or historical significance. This raises the interesting question of exactly what qualities a building needs in order to be considered for listing. Here is a closer look at the system and some of some of the key criteria an eligible building should have. When did the listed building system begin? The roots of the present system lie in the late 19th century, when John Ruskin and William Morris founded the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB).  This a ..read more