What is a listed building?

The government produces a register of buildings of special architectural or historic interest that covers the whole of England. These are "listed" buildings. The national list includes a wide variety of structures, representing the best of British buildings. It ranges from castles and cathedrals down to mileposts.

Each area of the country has its own list, and Nottingham has over 780 entries, (which in fact amounts to approximately 1,450 individual buildings, as it includes single list entries for multiple buildings in a terrace).  English Heritage makes details of Listed Buildings available online, and a search facility is available through the Heritage Gateway for you to check if a building is listed.

Click here to access the Heritage Gateway search facility (external link)
(To find all listed buildings in Nottingham, search on the map for Nottingham. Alternatively, click on the County/District/Parish tab and select County 'Nottinghamshire' followed by District 'Nottingham')

You may also inspect the list at the Council offices (Exchange Buildings, Smithy Row) and in some public libraries.

When a building is assessed for "listing", both its historic interest and its architectural interest are considered. Its condition is not as important a consideration and very often buildings will be "listed" in a poor condition.

Each building is looked at on the basis of a set of national criteria. So, if a historic building near you is not listed, it will usually be because it has not met the government standards. There are odd exceptions that have been over-looked and sometimes these will be individually "spot-listed".

How are buildings selected for listing?

Very broadly speaking the criteria for listing buildings are;

• all buildings built before 1700 which survive in anything like their original condition
• most buildings of 1700 to 1840, though selection is necessary
• between 1840 and 1914 only buildings of definite quality and character, and the selection is designed to include the principal works of the principal architects
• after 1914 only selected outstanding buildings are listed
• buildings that are less than 30 years old, only if they are of outstanding quality and under threat
• buildings that are less than 10 years old are not listed

In choosing buildings, particular attention is paid to:

• age and rarity
• special architectural interest or social and economic interest (e.g. industrial buildings, railway stations, schools, hospitals, theatres, town halls, markets, exchanges, almshouses, prisons, lock-ups and mills)
• technological innovation or virtuosity
• association with well-known characters or events
• group value, especially as examples of town planning (e.g. model villages, squares, terraces)

How are buildings classified in importance?

Buildings are classified in grades to show their relative importance;

Grade I: these are buildings of exceptional interest (only about 2% of listed buildings are in this grade) Nottingham has 9 grade I listed buildings)

Grade II*: these are particularly important buildings of more than special interest (only about 4% of listed buildings) Nottingham has 31 grade II* listed buildings)

Grade II: these are buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made to preserve them (94% of listed buildings) Nottingham has approx. 740 grade II listed buildings)

For further advice on listed buildings contact Planning Services on 0115 9155426.