IDENTIFYING and celebrating historic homes: Who lived in a house like this?

Whilst some of Britain’s buildings can be recognised as historically important from the outside, it is not always the fabric and design which holds the key to their significance.

Here the Listed Property Owners Club looks at how you can find a home with historic interest, and shares how listed home owners can celebrate their part of owning a slice of heritage.

Blue Plaque Celebrating 150 years in May 2016, the Blue Plaque scheme is an endorsement of British innovation, creativity and success throughout history and celebrates the links between notable figures of the past and the buildings in which they lived and worked.

Properties which were awarded the plaque in 2016 will include the former homes of 1966 World Cup Winner and England Captain Bobby Moore, lead singer of Queen Freddy Mercury, comedian Tommy Cooper and also the iconic movie star Ava Gardner.

Listed Building Plaque A home or building is awarded listed status to celebrate its special architectural or historic interest, it also brings it under the consideration of the planning system so that it can be protected for future generations.

Until recently, no means of visibly identifying listed homes has been available.

In light of this, the Listed Property Owners Club has created a very unique solid lead plaque exclusively for owners to celebrate their justifiable pride of the ownership.

David, owner of a Grade II listed home in Kent tells us: “We bought our plaque to highlight the historical nature of our home.

“Placed proudly above our front door it brings a real focal point to our entrance.

Owning and maintaining a piece of history is both rewarding and educational; fixing the previous decisions made over decades of unwitting repairs can be somewhat frustrating but wholly understandable given how as a nation we have evolved to realise that traditional techniques are essential to maintaining the period property for hopefully centuries to come.”

What do an author of classic English literature and a punk rock band have in common?

Like the Blue Plaque, when awarding listed status Historic England can consider cultural significance as well as historical importance.

For example, Historic England has recently announced Grade II* listing status for two 17th-century townhouses in Denmark Street, London, one of which was a base for the Sex Pistols in the mid-1970s and includes graffiti made by lead singer John Lydon.

Also recently relisted are seven buildings that witnessed the life of Charlotte Brontë.

These include Grade I listed Haworth Parsonage, where Charlotte and her sisters Emily and Anne grew up and where her novels were written, and Grade II* listed Norton Conyers, the property that inspired Charlotte’s most famous novel Jane Eyre.

info@lpoc.co.uk.