This page brings together a small number of trusted organisations, groups, and reference sites that are particularly relevant to the understanding, protection, and management of historic buildings and places in Preston and the wider Lancashire area.
The links included here range from national heritage bodies and campaigning organisations, to local groups and official council resources. Collectively, they provide essential guidance on heritage designation, conservation practice, planning processes, and local historical context.
This section will expand over time and may later be split into themed sub-pages, but the links below represent key starting points for anyone with an interest in preserving Preston’s built heritage.
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Resource Summaries
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Historic England
Historic England is the public body responsible for protecting and championing England’s historic environment. It provides expert advice on listed buildings, scheduled monuments, conservation areas, and heritage at risk, and maintains the National Heritage List for England (NHLE).
The NHLE is the only official, up to date register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in England.
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list
National Amenity Societies
The National Amenity Societies are a group of statutory consultees with specialist expertise in historic buildings and places. Their members focus on particular building types or periods, and they play an important role in scrutinising proposals that affect nationally significant heritage assets.
The JCNAS (Joint Committee of the National Amenity Societies) brings together this group of national societies, who are all passionate about the historic environment.
SAVE Britain’s Heritage
SAVE Britain’s Heritage is an independent charity campaigning to protect historic buildings and places at risk. It is well known for challenging unnecessary demolition, highlighting neglected buildings, and promoting creative reuse as an alternative to loss.
https://www.savebritainsheritage.org
The Heritage Alliance
The Heritage Alliance is the largest coalition of independent heritage organisations in England. Its members range from national bodies to specialist and local groups, and it works to advocate for heritage at a policy level, share best practice, and strengthen the collective voice of the heritage sector.
Preston Digital Archive
The Preston Digital Archive is an online repository of photographs, documents, and historical materials relating to Preston and the surrounding area. It is a valuable resource for researchers, local historians, and anyone interested in the city’s social, industrial, and architectural history, offering a rich visual and documentary record of Preston over time.
Preston History
Preston History is a well established local history resource created by Peter Smith. It provides detailed research, photographs, and contextual information on Preston’s buildings, streets, industries, and social history, and is widely used as a reference for local heritage research.
Restoring Preston Basin
Restoring Preston Basin is a local heritage initiative focused on the conservation, interpretation, and future activation of the historic canal basin in Preston. It brings together research, community engagement, and advocacy to encourage sensitive restoration and reuse of this important part of the city’s industrial heritage.
https://www.prestonbasin.org/history-of-preston-basin
Winckley Square – Friends of Winckley Square (FoWS)
The Friends of Winckley Square is a local group dedicated to the care, protection, and promotion of Winckley Square, one of Preston’s most significant historic spaces. The site offers background on the square’s history, architecture, and ongoing community involvement.
Preston City Council – Conservation and Heritage
Preston City Council’s Conservation and Heritage pages provide official information on conservation areas, listed buildings, local heritage assets, and the council’s approach to managing change in historic parts of the city.
https://www.preston.gov.uk/article/930/Conservation-and-heritage
Preston City Council – Planning Portal
The Planning Portal is the main access point for planning policy, applications, and decision-making in Preston. It is an essential resource for understanding how development proposals are submitted, assessed, and approved, including those affecting heritage assets.
https://www.preston.gov.uk/Planning
Guidance — Conserving and Enhancing the Historic Environment (gov.uk)
This is the official UK Government guidance on conserving and enhancing the historic environment. It sits alongside the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and explains how heritage assets should be considered in the planning system, including principles for decision-making and good practice. Because UK Government guidance can sometimes be hard to parse, we’ve summarised the key purpose here: it’s the core reference for how planners and applicants should approach historic buildings, conservation areas, and other designated heritage assets under national policy.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/conserving-and-enhancing-the-historic-environment