Love Local Landmarks

Project on locally listed buildings in Hackney

The Hackney Society has received a small grant from English Heritage to part-fund a review and survey of the borough’s 448 locally listed buildings. Volunteers are involved in the survey and in the development of an online catalogue.

Local authorities are responsible for the care and conservation of locally listed buildings, but they have little statutory power to protect them from demolition, decay or neglect unless they are located in a conservation area or are in residential use. On a national level these buildings are poorly documented despite the important contribution they make to the character, distinctiveness and identity of our villages, towns and cities.

The Hackney Society is surveying these buildings. Currently, little is known about them except that a high proportion date from the Georgian and Victorian periods, and that many of the borough’s significant 20th-century buildings are not included. The local list has not been reviewed since 1991 and with little up-to-date information we are unsure about the condition or status of these buildings.

The Hackney Society is currently conducting a full survey of the local list, which includes documenting each building by taking photographs, writing short architectural descriptions and assessing their condition. The data is being added to an online catalogue and will be submitted to the English Heritage’s Historic Environment Record, and will result in a case study for other local authorities to use. The project is also assessing new buildings to be added to the list. It is supported by Hackney Council.

Training for the project has been funded by Discover Hackney (Hackney's Built Environment and Heritage Partnership) and English Heritage.

If you require further information please do not hesitate to contact Lisa on 020 8806 4003 or email lisa@hackneysociety.org .