Local listing — put your choices on the map
Carol Rahn
“Battersea in Perspective” by Brian Barnes
Nominations open
There are 87 buildings in Battersea that have been listed by Historic England as Grade I or Grade II. In addition, another 71 buildings or “historic assets” in Battersea were locally listed by Wandsworth Borough Council as of 2016 and another 262 were added to the local listing register in 2018. For the 2018 additions, the Council encouraged nominations of a broad range of historic assets, including open spaces, historic street signs, commemorative plaques, historic post boxes and other elements of what is referred to as “street furniture.”
The Council is again inviting nominations for local listing from now until 28 February.
Local listing, sometimes referred to as Grade III, does not provide the same level of protection as Grade I or Grade II listing by Historic England, but it does make it more likely that any potential threats will be flagged up and challenged. Listing also makes the architectural legacy more visible through the Council’s online interactive maps and there are plans for a user-friendly database that will include descriptions and photos.
Criteria for local listing include age, rarity, aesthetic interest, visual impact of a group of assets, archaeological or archival interest, historical interest, landscape design, landmark status or social or communal value.
Drop a pin
To encourage broad participation, the Council has dedicated a website to collecting nominations: https://wandsworthlocallist.commonplace.is/
Scroll down until you find the button for “Drop a pin.” When the map opens, click on “Have your say,” and you’ll be invited to place a pin. Ideally, first take a photo of anything you’d like to add. The site lets you enter a brief description and upload the photo.
Of special interest to us is a proposal to restore historic signs in need of a refurb. We see this as an opportunity to reinforce the Battersea identity. Could you help expand our inventory of the white signs with black lettering that have “Battersea” or “Borough of Battersea” as well as the street name? Find out more about this on last month’s blog: https://www.batterseasociety.org.uk/heritage-blog/walk-the-streets
Plaques, Post Boxes and Boundary Markers
We would also very much like to have a more complete inventory of historic post boxes, commemorative plaques and boundary markers so we can ensure that all are locally listed.
There’s no need for you to worry about what has already been listed by Historic England or by the Council – duplicates will be removed in the review process. But to see the current listings, click here.
For more information, or if you have questions or need any help with your contribution, contact Carol Rahn at heritage@batterseasociety.org.uk
Remember – this opportunity ends 28 February.