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HISTORICAL ASSESSMENT AND SURVEY OF OLD BUILDINGS   Page 3
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HISTORICAL ASSESSMENT AND SURVEY OF OLD BUILDINGS
An Advice Note for Those Who Care About Them

"And behold a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the man’s hand a measuring reed of six cubits long by the cubit and an hand breadth: so he measured the breadth of the building, one reed: and the height, one reed."

Thus the Prophet Ezekiel, writing about 600BC, begins his extraordinarily long and detailed account of the survey of a temple (in Chapters 40, 41 and 42 of his Book).
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1. THE STATUTORY LIST

   There are many reasons for studying an historic building. Threat of demolition, need for repairs, proposed alterations, heritage planning or simply the curiosity and enthusiasm of an owner or a researcher, all demand knowledge of the features, the historical significance and the antiquity of a building.
   The first question is whether the building is indeed historic. Perhaps it looks ancient, or perhaps its name or its repute proclaims its antiquity. If it is believed that a building may be of historic importance, the Statutory List is the first place to look. The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport is responsible for compiling the Statutory List of buildings of special architectural or historic interest. The purpose of listing is to give a building statutory protection against unauthorised demolition, alteration or extension. It forms a part of the planning process administered by local planning authorities and by Central Government.
   English Heritage is responsible for providing expert advice on which buildings meet the criteria for listing and for administering that part of the process. It is in fact rather difficult to find out exactly what the criteria are. There is a procedure for requesting English Heritage to put a building on the Statutory List, but it is only sensible to have clear grounds for believing a building is of historic importance, before embarking upon this.
   A copy of a List entry may be obtained from the local planning authority, from Kent County Council or from the National Monuments Record (Tel: 01793 414 600). Many local libraries also have a copy of their local Statutory List.
   Despite all this, it has to be said that the information in the Statutory List is not always correct. In particular, the List frequently underestimates the age of a building. This is quite understandable, as dateable features are often concealed by alterations made to a building during a long lifetime.
Helpful information may be found on the web pages of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for Communities and Local Government, and English Heritage. These are given in Annexe 1.

2. PUBLISHED LISTS AND BOOKS DESCRIBING OLD BUILDINGS

   A building may not have met the criteria for inclusion on the Statutory List. There are some alternative sources of information on old buildings in Kent, the first being a

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