Historic preservation

Historic preservation (US), heritage preservation or heritage conservation (UK), is an endeavour that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. The term tends to refer specifically to the preservation of the built environment, and not to preservation of, for example, primeval forests or wilderness.

In England, antiquarian interests were a familiar gentleman's pursuit since the mid 17th century, developing in tandem with the rise in scientific curiosity. Fellows of the Royal Society were often also Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries.

Many historic sites were damaged as the railways began to spread across the UK; including Trinity Hospital and its church in Edinburgh, Furness Abbey, Berwick and Northampton Castle, and the ancient walls of York, Chester and Newcastle. In 1833 Berkhamsted Castle became the first historic site in England to be officially protected by statute under the London and Birmingham Railway Acts of 1833-37, though the new railway line in 1834 did demolish the castle's gatehouse and outer earthworks to the south.

Another early preservation event also occurred at Berkhamsted. In England from early Anglo-Saxon times, Common land was an area of land which the local community could use as a resource. Between 1660 and 1845, 7 million acres of such land was enclosed by private owners by application to parliament. In 1863, Ashridge, once part of Berkhamsted castle's royal park was sold to Earl Brownlow. In 1866, Lord Brownlow tried to enclose Berkhamsted Common with 5-foot (2 m) steel fences in an attempt to claim it as part of his estate. Augustus Smith MP led gangs of local folk and hired men from London's East End in direct action to break the fences and protect Berkhamsted Common for the people of Berkhamsted on the night of 6 March, in what became known nationally as the Battle of Berkhamsted Common. In 1870, Sir Robert Hunter (later co-founder of the National Trust in 1895) and the Commons Preservation Society succeed in legal action that ensured protection of Berkhamsted Common and other open spaces threatened with enclosure. In 1926 the common was acquired by the National Trust.

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