Cornwall has a rich heritage of Historic and Listed Buildings throughout the County. All of these buildings have architectural and historical importance and if they are not appropriately maintained, we could lose a significant part of the Cornish character and cultural heritage. We, Leslie Cornell Building Restoration Ltd, take the utmost care and pride in all of the sympathetic restoration works we undertake on Cornwall’s Historic Buildings.
Some of Cornwall’s Historic Buildings are Listed to protect them from unsympathetic alterations and demolition. This does not mean that a Listed Building cannot be maintained, or even altered, but there is legislation in place so that any proposed work is given full and proper consideration prior to any works being undertaken.
Listed Buildings are classified by one of three grades. These grades are determined by the buildings’ relative importance and are:
Grade 1 – Buildings of exceptional interest
Grade I Listed Historic Church, Gwennap, Cornwall
Grade II* - Buildings of particular importance and of more than special interest
Grade II* Listed 18th Century Former Garrison Storehouse, Isles of Scilly
Grade II – Buildings of special interest that warrant every effort being made to protect them
Grade II Listed Former Methodist Chapel, Charlestown, Cornwall
If you are unsure if your Historic Building in Cornwall is Listed or not there is a ‘Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historical Interest’ you can have a look at. This register contains all Listed Buildings in England and is administered by the government agency Historic England.
If you own a Listed Building in Cornwall and are considering making alterations or undertaking restoration works on it, you must first obtain Listed Building Consent from Cornwall Council. This is achieved by completing a Listed Building Consent Application and providing all relevant information relating to your proposed works, to enable Cornwall Council to make an informed decision about your project.
During the planning application process for Listed Building Consent, Cornwall Council will assess your buildings’ construction type and/or location to determine if there is a reasonable likelihood that bats are using the site. This is due to species of bats, the UK’s only flying mammal, dramatically declining over the years. Building alterations which have subsequently destroyed bat habitats are just one of the reasons for this happening. Bats are now protected under European Law, and this protection means that it is illegal to disturb, injure, harm or kill them.
If species of bats are found to be inhabiting the building, conditions and timing of works could be imposed so as not to disturb them. This was the case with one of our current Historic Building Restoration in Cornwall projects where re-roofing works were due to be carried out. Specific instructions were received about the materials to be used and a roof access within the timbers had to be constructed to enable the bats to enter and leave the roof space.
For more information about this project please have a look at the Portfolio page on our Website.
On some occasions Historic Buildings are not Listed but are located in Areas of Outstanding Natural beauty and any alterations/restoration works to them could be governed by a restrictive covenant.
For more information on this please have a look at our Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty Blog.
We have had the pleasure of undertaking restoration works on all of the Historic Buildings in Cornwall pictured above.
If you own an Historic Building in Cornwall and have any restoration works you would like to discuss, please Contact Us.
Historic Building Restoration Contractors Cornwall – Listed Building Specialists Cornwall – Heritage Building Conservation Specialists Cornwall – Historic Buildings and Bats Cornwall – Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty Cornwall
