Listed Buildings in Preston
A listed building in England is a structure of special architectural or historic interest placed on the National Heritage List for England (NHLE), protecting it from, or managing, changes to its character. Listed by Historic England, these properties range from castles and homes to telephone boxes. Over 90% of the current Listed Buildings in England are Grade II.
Being a Listed Building does not protect it from neglect or vandalism. However, it should protect the structure during the planning process. Whilst the work of Historic England comes under the jurisdiction Department for Culture, Media and Sport, they do not have any special authority to carry out any enforcement. This duty falls to the local authority, which in this case is Preston City Council. the legal obligations of a building owner are minimal. They are required to keep the structure, in the case of a building, secure and water-tight.
At the time of writing, in April 2026, there are currently 481 structures in Preston that are included on the NHLE. Items on the list are not just in the city centre, they also included in the urban (unparished) areas of Ashton, Avenham, Broadgate, Deepdale, Fishwick, Frenchwood, Fulwood, Ingol, Lea & Ribbleton. There are also many Listed Buildings in the rural village parishes of Barton, Broughton, Goosnargh, Grimsargh, Haighton, Whittingham & Woodplumpton.
The NHLE also includes other Heritage Categories that do not fall within designation of Listed Buildings (structures). This include Parks and Gardens & Scheduled Monuments.
- Parks and Gardens – Avenham Park, Avenham Walk, Haslam Park, The former Harris Orphanage, Miller Park, Moor Park, Preston Cemetery and The Willows
- Scheduled Monuments – Cromwell’s Mound Civil War fieldwork, Chingle Hall moated site and Penwortham Old Bridge
~
Looking After Listed Buildings
Listed buildings are there to be lived in, used, and enjoyed—they are not museum pieces frozen in time. Being listed does not prevent change, but it does mean that any work which could affect the building’s character requires listed building consent.
This protection applies to the entire building, inside and out. Even seemingly minor works—such as replacing windows or making internal alterations—may need consent if they could impact its special architectural or historic interest.
When considering applications, the Local Planning Authority (Preston City Council) has a duty to give special attention to preserving the building, its setting, and any features that make it significant. At the same time, practical matters—such as the building’s condition and how it is used—can also be taken into account.
~
Discover your local listed buildings and places
Historic England have a ‘discovery’ page, as part of their ‘Local Heritage Hub’, that is dedicated to Preston. It introduces some of Preston’s most historic sites, which are included in the National Heritage List for England. Some of the captions on their page have been summarised by AI. It is a good starting place, if you would like to find out more.
https://historicengland.org.uk/local/locations/preston
~
Search the List
The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is the only official, up to date register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in England. Historic England maintain the list and provide two ways to easily search the information on their website. One search allows you to enter key words, such as the name of a building or place, and then apply filters (criteria) to narrow down the results. The other search is based on a map. It has all the locations of listings represented as map pointers, these can be clicked on to find a summary. The summary includes a link to the Official Listing Page of a listing. The map is particularly useful when you are out in the field, as you can employ your device’s GPS (if available) to find listing close to your current location.
Search the National Heritage List for England
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/results/?size=n_48_n
Search the List: Map Search
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/map-search
~