ABSTRACT
Building regulations in English towns were based on customary law and changed only in minor ways before the industrial era. This chapter examines practice in four Midland towns, Coventry, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, and Birmingham, regarding environmental regulation, fire prevention, defending the public space of the street from encroachment, rebuilding after disaster, and new building on private estates. Gradually, the enforcement of regulations moved from Leet courts to new urban institutions established by national acts of parliament.
