The Georgian Group is a British charity, and the national authority on

Georgian architecture Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover— George I, George II, Ge ...

built between 1700 and 1837 in England and Wales. As one of the National Amenity Societies, The Georgian Group is a statutory consultee on alterations to listed buildings, and by law must be notified of any work to a relevant listed building which involves any element of demolition.

History

Founded in 1937 by Lord Derwent, Robert Byron and the journalist Douglas Goldring (who went on to become the first secretary), the Group was originally part of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. Sir

Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, '' The Buildings of England'' ...

, the

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

and

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

Sir John Betjeman, Sir John Summerson, Robert Byron, the

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Sir Albert Richardson, Oliver Messel, and Sir Osbert Sitwell were among its most prominent early active members. Since 1971, The Georgian Group has been a national amenity society.

Work

The Georgian Group acts as a statutory consultee in the planning process in England and Wales, when consideration is being given to proposals to alter or demolish

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

s dating, in whole or in part, from between 1700 and 1837. The Victorian Society plays a similar role for buildings built between 1837 and 1914. It is notified of many thousands of applications each year. (In

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland, formerly the Georgian Group of Edinburgh, is the relevant statutory consultee). The Group has a similar role in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...

and

Church in Wales The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The pos ...

faculty systems, and also advises the internal planning bodies of the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...

and United Reformed Church, on alterations to listed churches and chapels, including on the re-ordering or removal of historic fixtures and fittings. Its present headquarters is at 6 Fitzroy Square, London W1, a large Robert Adam town house which it has restored. Its extensive library and an important collection of architectural watercolours and engravings, the Pardoe Collection, are housed within its headquarters and are available for public examination by appointment. Since the early 1980s The Georgian Group has employed specialist regional caseworkers to undertake its advisory work within the planning process. Any member of the public can ask the Group for assistance in preventing the destruction of a Georgian building, although the Group's resources are limited. There are four casework regions: London and the South East, Central and Northern England, South West England and the Cotswolds, and Wales. The caseworkers are responsible to a Senior Caseworker and a committee of expert advisers. Dr John Martin Robinson was the founder of its specialist Casework Committee, a group of architects, architectural historians and conservation professionals who regularly meet to discuss controversial development schemes. The Georgian Group also has specialist representatives on conservation advisory panels in many English local authority areas.

Architectural Awards

The Georgian Group's Architectural Awards, held annually since 2003, celebrate exemplary conservation and restoration projects in the UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands. Traditionally taking place in autumn each year, they provide an opportunity to recognise those who have shown vision and commitment in restoring Georgian buildings and landscapes of the long eighteenth century, from 1660 to 1840. The award categories are: Restoration of a Georgian Country House; Restoration of a Georgian Interior; Restoration of a Georgian Building in an Urban Setting; Reuse of a Georgian Building; Restoration of a Georgian Garden or Landscape; New Building in the Spirit of the Georgian Era; New Building in a Georgian Context. Previous winners include the

Great Pagoda, Kew Gardens The Great Pagoda at Kew Gardens in southwest London, was built in 1761 by Sir William Chambers as a present for Princess Augusta, the founder of the gardens. Constructed of grey brick, the pagoda comprises 10 storeys, totalling in height, wi ...

, the Saloon at Brighton Pavilion, the

Painted Hall The Old Royal Naval College is the architectural centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich, a World Heritage Site in Greenwich, London, described by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as being of "outstanding ...

at Greenwich,

Pitzhanger Manor Pitzhanger Manor is an English country house famous as the home of neoclassical architect, Sir John Soane. Built between 1800 and 1804 in Walpole Park Ealing, to the west of London), the Regency Manor is a rare and spectacular example of a bui ...

Ealing Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Ealing was his ...

and

Hillsborough Castle Hillsborough Castle is an official government residence in Northern Ireland. It is the official residence of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland,

in County Down, Northern Ireland, as well as numerous private houses.

Grants

The Georgian Group's small grants fund for the repair and restoration of Georgian buildings, monuments and fixtures and fittings is called the F. E. Cleary Heritage Fund (commonly known as The Cleary Fund). Grants are normally awarded annually in October.

Publications

The Group's magazine ''The Georgian'' is published bi-annually and sent to all members of the Georgian Group which include owners of Georgian property, professionals working in the fields of art, architecture, conservation, curation, academia and law plus those interested in Georgian architecture, preservation, restoration and decoration of buildings. The magazine plays an important role in providing communication to members. It contains vital information, with regular features on buildings at risk, practical tips for owners of Georgian properties, restoration projects (both exterior and interior), casework, art, news, reviews, events and activities. ''The Georgian Group Journal'', published annually, is the authoritative journal of record for early modern architecture in Britain between 1660 and 1840 and was first published in 1986. It is cited more often than any other title in

Sir Howard Colvin Sir Howard Montagu Colvin (15 October 1919 – 27 December 2007) was a British architectural historian who produced two of the most outstanding works of scholarship in his field: ''A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840' ...

's classic work of reference ''A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600–1840'', and is essential reading for anyone interested in architecture and related aspects of material culture during this period. The Group also publishes works on the care and restoration of Georgian buildings and interiors. An online archive of past articles, together with a cumulative index, is available. The titles of all articles published in journal are also listed in the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Library catalogue, which hosts the RIBA's Architectural Periodicals Index.

References

External links

*
The Georgian Group Magazine

The Georgian Group Journal

The RIBA Library
* {{Authority control Organizations established in 1937 18th century in England Clubs and societies in London Architecture organisations based in the United Kingdom Arts organisations based in the United Kingdom Heritage organisations in the United Kingdom Historical societies of the United Kingdom Historic preservation Architecture groups Georgian era