A Monumental Act: How Britain Saved its Heritage
1 MAY - 7 JULY 2013, QUADRIGA GALLERY
At the 'A Monumental Act: How Britain Saved its Heritage' exhibition, visitors are taken back to the first half of the 20th century to see how a new law and a small band of determined people saved Britain's most historic buildings from decay and destruction, in the process creating a national outdoor museum.
Under the landmark Ancient Monuments Act of 1913, the powers of the Office of Works - English Heritage's predecessor - to collect, or take into guardianship, monuments of outstanding importance were strengthened. Public access was made a right for all new guardianships. In the first 20 years after 1913 no fewer than 229 sites came into the care of the Office of Works. The National Heritage Collection was born.
The 1913 Ancient Monuments Act introduced the first effective system for protecting heritage in Britain. This exhibition celebrates the centenary of this remarkable event and the determined people who brought about the law that transformed the appearance of the country.
