Place Services have recently completed a 2-year project with the East of England Historic England Listing Team. Our team were commissioned to review and enhance listed building entries across the 6 HSHAZ’s in the region (Lowestoft, Swaffham, Dunstable, Bedford, North Walsham and Great Yarmouth).
The project included reviewing all entries for designated heritage assets within the boundaries of the HSHAZs, and making recommendations for whether the entry required a minor amendment, minor enhancement or full amendment.
Our team undertook training with the Historic England team and worked closely with each of the HAZ’s Historic England Listing Team leads to undertake edits and enhancements where they were identified and approved. Place Services paired each HAZ with a lead consultant to undertake the work, building a strong knowledge and connection with the historic buildings and features within each area and the HSHAZ team.
Desk based assessments of the List entries for all buildings were undertaken, and recommendations were provided in a spreadsheet with initial findings to inform next stage of work. Edits were then completed in a bespoke template form, supplied by Historic England, for all minor enhancement cases identified during the phase 1 of the project. Our team worked collaboratively with Historic England Listing Advisers, submitting forms in batches through a sharepoint. A key aim of the project was to ensure that each entry contained a concise history of the building or feature within its wider context. Our team also undertook amendments to the text to enhance legibility and clarity for modern audiences and users of the list.
Site visits were then undertaken in pairs to confirm findings of phase 1 and 2 and to enhance the building/site record. Visits included external photographic record, and interiors where possible. Our team also undertook community engagement throughout the project, but especially while on site, visiting local museums and heritage groups to spread awareness of the project and connect with the local community. An enhanced public engagement initiative was also identified during the project, and a bespoke suite of talks were created and delivered online within each HSHAZ. The talks aimed to spread awareness of Enriching the List as part of a long-term legacy of the project, and to ensure local communities were familiar with their local HSHAZ, listings, and how to conduct their own research into historic buildings.
