Abstract

London's Heritage Deserves Interpretation BRIAN GOODEY HE English Heritage Monitor* is the second annual compilation and analysis of data by the Planning and Research Services of the English Tourist Board on the , conservation, presentation and public use of England's architectural heritage. Adhering to the official view of 'heritage' it concentrates on the formally recognised, that is to say 'listed', buildings and areas as well as buildings managed by the Depart- ment of the Environment, the National Trust and the peerage promoters. But as such properties form the major focus for tourist and visitor activity in England the report is both fairly comprehensive and instructive. Facts in isolation take on a 'number of hamburgers eaten' quality - 25 1,570 DoE listed buildings by the end of 1977 and although 15 per cent of those threatened during that year were in London, the metro- polis has by far the highest density of listed buildings, some 50 per square mile with 5 1 conservation areas. This massive heritage resource (or burden) leads the Greater London Council to appear as one of the top ten spending authorities in building conservation (but after Norwich, Tyne and Wear, Greater Manchester and Newcastle, all of