This past week, Historic England celebrated its 70th year of protecting England’s cultural heritage by announcing five new additions to the National Heritage List for England, covering four Grade II and one Grade II* entries. “Grade II buildings are of special interest; 91.7% of all listed buildings are in this class and it is the most likely grade of listing for a home owne,” according to Historic England. “Grade II* buildings are particularly important buildings of more than special interest; 5.8% of listed buildings are Grade II*.”
The new additions encompass a diverse range of historic buildings and include Cabmen’s Shelter in London; Underhill, a modern underground house in West Yorkshire; Stockton-on-Tees Wireless Station, the Royal Navy’s only intelligence gathering station at the beginning of World War I, located in County Durham; London’s Funerary Buildings at Willesden Jewish Cemetery; and the Pillwood House in Cornwall County.
The aftermath of World War II on England sparked the need for protection of the country’s extraordinary historic buildings. The Town and Country Planning Act of 1947 was born as a result, and the listing system was created. Today, the list has more than 400,000 designations that represent England’s diverse historic buildings, sites, and landscapes.
