14 CONTEXT 188 : JUNE 2026 The Black Horse pub in Preston, Lancashire, was built in 1898 for the Atlas Brewery Company of Manchester to the design of JA Seward of Preston. their structure, layout and content as part of an ongoing mission to provide greater clarity to those charged with the management of historic buildings. Apart from the introduction of clear reasons for designation and fuller history, listing advisers have been able to make unambiguous statements on parts of the building for exclusion from listing (under the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013). Furthermore, the application of proper mapping to show the extent of the building in place of the blue triangle has also made clear what words alone can not achieve. A fast-track listing assessment undertaken on a cost-recovery basis was introduced in 2015 as part of the Enhanced Advisory Services. This has proved valuable in an era of development pressure, where gaining certainty on the special interest of a building helps to de-risk the site and inform subsequent change. It also helps to maintain the list through our fast-track amendments process and offers certainty against listing where a building is not of special interest, with the issue of a five-year certificate of immunity from listing. Much more recently the changes in law regarding the issuing of building preservation notices, and in particular the removal of the right to compensation should a BPN result in a recommendation not to list, has provided the potential for a measure of interim protection by local authorities, who now also consult Historic England’s listing teams before issuing a notice. There remains very strong public interest in listing and designation generally. The Missing Pieces Project, launched 10 years ago as a means of ‘enriching the list’, has proved enormously successful. Many contributions of photographs have been made to the NHLE through this initiative, but we aspire to see it do much more to support, with information on further research, publications and other material that would illuminate often cursory list entries. Towards the end of each year the listing roundup draws together a suitably eclectic showcase of new additions to the NHLE. Media coverage of this summary tends to be overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the pride communities take in the official endorsement of a local building’s significance and value, and reflecting approval for the measure of protection that listing affords it. Even buildings that continue to divide opinion on grounds of style can be recognised as having obtained ‘special interest’, both for their original conception and partly through having stood the test of time. The recent addition to the list of the Queen Elizabeth Hall/Purcell Room and Hayward Gallery on London’s South Bank (first recommended for listing in 1998) drew plaudits and fewer brickbats. But this was a moment to celebrate and acknowledge that the importance of a building to our national architectural history may have to be argued for over a long period, and that public opinion and appreciation, affection even, evolves over time, but ultimately they can make the grade. Charles O’Brien is listing and architectural research director at Historic England
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