ABSTRACT
A legislative and practical framework for the conservation of historic buildings and areas is now an accepted part of national policy in the UK, attracting strong popular support for what are widely recognised to be assets of immense historical, cultural and social value. Issues surrounding the public's willingness to accept the expansion of State intervention in general were important to the development of conservation strategy. The Ancient Monuments Protection Act 1882 is the first conservation law in the UK. To understand the development of conservation legislation in the twentieth century, this chapter explores how public opinion was galvanised. The primary function of the first list was to provide unambiguous information for town planners, and for private owners, on what buildings ought to be kept in the much-heralded renewal of Britain after the war. Conservation Areas include numerous town centres and other areas which have come to be known as 'historic urban quarters'.
