The National Heritage List for England
Introduction
The National Heritage List for England is an online searchable database of designated heritage assets (excluding conservation areas).
It holds the official records for listed buildings, scheduled monuments, Register of Parks and Gardens, registered battlefields and protected wrecks.
Finally it holds a convenient collated version of the record of World Heritage Sites (the official record is held by UNESCO).
It also contains details of certificates of immunity from listing, and building preservation notices that have been received by Historic England.
Searching the List
The List can be searched in a number of ways, but perhaps the most convenient is a map search which typically shows something like the image below (at local level scale).
Descriptions of each record
The details of the official record for each designation can be viewed and printed, including a non-exhaustive description of what is important about the significance of the building or site. It should be noted that the description is included to identify which building or site has been included on the list; it is not intended to record each feature of significance.
The quality of these descriptions varies a lot: from a brief factual account of what is there, to a qualitative and detailed description of the architectural interest or historic interest.
Some entries include maps to aid understanding of location but care is needed in interpreting their meaning and accuracy. There are explanatory notes with each plan.
Use of map data in the official record
Most listed buildings are marked on the map by a triangular point. Older designations used an address only to identify the location of the building, and the map marker was added later. It does not form a part of the official record.
For list entries post-dating 4 April 2011 the map does form part of the official record but it has been included only to help identify the principal listed building. It is not definitive. Protection may extend to objects or structures fixed to the building and objects or structures within the curtilage of the building, where they form part of the land and have done so since before 1 July 1948, even if they are not fixed to the building (ref. 1).
