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No.53 - October 2002 | Contex HOME PRESERVATION Conserving, Listing and Scheduling in the City of London ROY WALKER The Excavation Round-Up in July’s CONTEXT referred to the "so-called Governor’s Palace Scheduled Ancient monument" which possibly requires some explanation on two counts. The "so-called" refers to the Governor’s Palace, not the Scheduling. The interpretation of this waterfront site as the Governor’s Palace has been disputed (see Gustav Milne’s Roman London Batsford/English Heritage, 1995) but the Scheduling is positive! The City of London has over fifty monuments protected by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act, 1979, sites selected on the criteria now laid down within Annex 4 of Planning Policy Guidance: Archaeology and Planning - PPG16. The Act covers ancient monuments of national importance by virtue of their historic, architectural, traditional or archaeological interest. Any work to these sites which would affect the monument or its setting requires consent from the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who consults with English Heritage before reaching a decision. Amongst those listed as Grade I are Stationers’ Hall, Apothecaries’ Hall and Vintners’ Hall, all three are also Scheduled Monuments. Unusually, the Black Friars public house in Queen Victoria Street is listed II* - the art décor interior is similarly, but separately, listed. The architect, Giles Gilbert Scott, is famed for Waterloo Bridge, Bankside Power Station (now Tate Modern), Battersea Power Station but a lasting feature of his craft are the red telephone boxes many of which have been listed as Grade II structures. Two designs are covered - K2 and K6 - examples of both can be seen at Grand Avenue, Smithfield. Look for the small plaques inside. Other "oddities" include the three bollards at Lovat Lane, the towers at Cannon Street Railway Station, the Police call box at Friday Street, Liverpool Street Railway Station offices, the Memorial Shelter in Postmans’ Park, the cobbled setts in Staple Inn Court (and the lamp posts there), the Submarine War Memorial on Victoria Embankment and the cattle trough outside Inner Temple Gardens. The list includes a very wide range of structures. The list is embracing and clearly defines the structures protected. St Paul’s Cathedral is safeguarded by eight separate listings - the Cathedral itself, the railings to the churchyard, the forty stone posts on its forecourt, the Chapter House, the tower of St Augustine’s Church, the statue of Queen Anne, Paul’s Cross and the footings of the destroyed cloister and chapter house. The same Planning Act provides for the creation of Conservation Areas which are defined as "areas of special architectural or historic interest the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance." As at 1998, there were twenty-six conservation areas in the City of London. St Olave’s Church (listed grade I) is in Tower Conservation Area along with Trinity House and the former offices of the Port of London Authority.
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Scheduled
monuments in the City include the many sections of the Roman wall
which survive on view or concealed, such as the section in Postman’s
Park and King Edward Street. Naturally, the Amphitheatre is Scheduled
as is the curiously described "structure of archaeological interest
below Billingsgate Market, Lower Thames Street." Some Scheduled
structures are also buildings "listed" as being of special
architectural or historic interest under Section 1 of the Planning
(Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. Buildings are
listed as part of a notional survey programme, spot listed or added
by the Secretary of State following a Building Preservation Notice
served by a local authority. The criteria for listing are set out
in PPG15. Buildings are graded I, II* (two star) or II according
to their relative importance. The City of London has over 570 listed
buildings of which about 15% are Grade I compared with the national
average of 2%. The City of Oxford runs a close second.