ABSTRACT
Historic buildings and building fabric can as easily be lost through ill-considered alteration and over-zealous restoration, as through demolition. Historically, many of the principles of good conservation practice have been expressed and set out in various ways. The most important may be considered to be: The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings Manifesto of 1877; The first Ancient Monuments Act of 1882; International Charters and Guidelines particularly those published by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS); English Heritage guidelines; and Current legislation in the Planning Act 1990, the National Planning Policy Framework 2012. Understanding the principles of ICOMOS Burra Charter allows architects working on historic buildings to develop an understanding of sound conservation behind sound conservation practice. It forms the basis for informing sound decisions about how much to repair, alter, or replace.
