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England's strange and beautiful listed buildings
From neoclassical concert halls to the stark interwar beauty of Battersea Power Station
Historic England is celebrating 70 years of categorising and preserving the country's architectural treasures.
The listing system in its modern form was introduced in the Town and County Planning Act in 1947, dsigned to protect historically significant buildings from falling victim to the post-war house building boom.
All in all, around 400,000 structures in England are now listed on Historic England's register, which divides listings into Grade II, II* or I depending on their importance.
The Week
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Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Only 2.5 per cent of buildings recognised by the organisation win the coveted Grade I status.
Among the latest additions are "a 'Hobbit' house, a cabbies' shelter and a World War One listening post," the BBC reports.
They join an eclectic list which already numbers "710 windmills, 514 pigsties, 262 palaces, 72 piers, 16 plague crosses, 13 dung-pits, three scoreboards, two fairground rides and a rocket".
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