1 Dorset's historic environment today
Dorset’s rich historic environment has inspired important archaeological work and provided a backdrop for centuries of agriculture, industry, creative activity, everyday life, and death. Dorset has many ‘flagship’ monuments and excavations, and a wealth of historic buildings and finds which continue to inspire high quality research, and enormous public interest and enthusiasm.
The county’s historic environment is a finite and non-renewable resource which is important in its own right and makes a significant contribution to cultural activities and quality of life. It is used and enjoyed by many, but information about it should be made accessible to a wider range of people to enable them to participate in the understanding and protection of their heritage, and to inform decisions affecting it, now and in the future.
- 1.1 Heritage assets
- 1.2 Designated heritage assets
- 1.3 Heritage at Risk
- 1.4 Non-designated heritage assets
- 1.5 Significance
1.1 Heritage assets
A heritage asset is a building, monument, site, place, area or landscape identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions, because of its heritage interest. Heritage assets include designated heritage assets and assets identified by the local planning authority (including local listing).
1.2 Designated heritage assets
Legislation provides specific protection for buildings and areas of special architectural or historic interest (Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990), monuments of national interest (Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979), and wreck sites of archaeological, historic or artistic interest (Protection of Wrecks Act 1973). There is also provision for compilation of registers of parks and gardens and battlefields of special historic interest in the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953.
An impression of the importance of Dorset’s historic environment can be gained by considering these statutory designations.
Table: Designated heritage assets
Location | Listed Buildings | Scheduled Monuments | Registered Park and Gardens | Conservation Areas |
---|---|---|---|---|
England | 378,982 | 199,903 | 1,674 | 7,000 |
BCP | 753 | 36 | 4 | 48 |
Dorset Council | 9220 | 984 | 36 | 179 |
Dorset total | 9973 | 1020 | 40 |
227 |
Figures given are the number of designations. Some may represent groups of buildings or monuments. Read more detail about designated heritage assets on the Historic England website.
Conservation areas - approximate numbers from the Historic England website.
Of 54 English Protected Wreck sites, 6 are off the coast of Dorset. There are no registered battlefields in the county.