Listed buildings
A 'listed building' is a building, object or structure that has been judged to be of national special historical or architectural interest. There are just under 500,000 listed buildings in England.
The statutory list for Wolverhampton includes a wide variety of structures ranging from medieval parish churches to Georgian country houses, and from car factories to canal locks. Not all items on the list are what we might conventionally think of as beautiful or attractive, but are included purely for their historical value.
Listed buildings are classified into grades to give an indication of their relative importance. Grade I are buildings of exceptional interest - less than 5% of all listed buildings are in this grade. The majority of listed buildings are grade II, but some especially important buildings in this grade are classified as II*.
At present, there are 371 listed buildings in Wolverhampton:
- 2 Grade I;
- 22 Grade II*;
- 347 Grade II.
Some list entries contain several buildings, such as terraces or groups of grave stones. In Wolverhampton therefore, there are actually around 500 individual properties or structures that have listed building status.
What if my property if listed?
The fact that a building is listed does not necessarily mean that it must be preserved exactly as it is for all time. The main purpose of listing is to ensure that any alterations made respect the particular character and special interest of the building. If an owner wishes to demolish, alter or extend their property they must apply to the Council for listed building consent. This applies to internal as well as external works.
Even what appear to be quite minor changes may need consent so it is advisable to check with one of the conservation officers at the Council before work starts if there is any doubt. It is a criminal offence to alter or extend a listed building in a way that would affect its character without consent and the penalties can be high.
Planning permission may also be required for alterations and extensions. Listed buildings do not have the benefit of any permitted development rights under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995. The Planning Helpdesk can advise on planning matters and can provide application forms for both planning permission and listed building consent.
For more information about listed buildings, including the criteria for selecting buildings for the list and information on how to get a building considered, visit the English Heritage web site.
For more information about Wolverhampton’s listed buildings visit the Wolverhampton History and Heritage Society web site.
The Council also compiles its own list of locally important buildings but these do not have the same level of protection as those on the statutory list. See the Local List page for more information about these buildings.