Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings

The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings ( SPAB ) is a British organization dedicated to historic preservation. The organization, founded in 1877 by William Morris turned against the then usual preservation. Under the slogan " Protect instead of restoring " they called for a departure from the former custom of building possible " faithfully " restore. The SPAB is the oldest and largest UK private conservation organization.

The founding manifesto of the company is influential for historic preservation to this day. It criticized the last 50 years the Victorian monuments. The attention that they enjoyed in this period, the monuments would have contributed more to their destruction as the centuries before. The work of the restorers destroy historic fabric, put the story still and press a monument for all time the interpretation of modern architects. The entire surface of a building being manipulated, get the appearance of age. The basic idea of ​​founding manifesto characterizes the work of SPAB today.

The debate about restoration or protection, where the SPAB participated in a prominent place, surged in England for several decades. It was recorded at the end of the 19th century in Germany, where settings and texts of the English were received.

The company still exists today and had in 2007 a ​​total of 8,700 members. The company publishes books, conducts seminars and advises owners of protected buildings. According to the British conservation laws, the Society must be notified when a protected building is to be demolished in whole or in part.