Vale of White Horse District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close,
Abingdon, OX14 3JE
Email: comments@whitehorsedc.gov.uk
Telephone: 01235 520202

Vale of White Horse District Council

What is a listed building?

There are nearly 3,000 listed buildings in the Vale. As well as houses and cottages, listed buildings also include structures such as bridges, memorials, telephone kiosks and gravestones.

The statutory definition of a listed building is a "building of special architectural or historic interest".

Buildings are listed for a number of different reasons, including for their:

• Architectural interest 
• Historic interest 
• Unusual construction methods 
• Value as part of a group of buildings.

Decisions as to which buildings are listed are taken by the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport on the advice of English Heritage, which also administers the listing system on behalf of the Secretary of State.

Grading of listed buildings

Listed buildings are graded to show their importance: 

• Grade I buildings are those of exceptional interest, for example County Hall in Abingdon’s Market Square - see the picture below. There are 41 Grade I listed buildings in the Vale.
• Grade II* are particularly important buildings of more than special interest, for example The Old Town Hall, in Market Place, Faringdon - see the picture below. There are 122 Grade II* listed buildings in the Vale.
• Grade II are of special interest, justifying every effort to preserve them. There are 2,014 Grade II listed buildings in the Vale.

Most listed buildings (93 per cent) fall into the Grade II category.

What does the listing include?

The listing includes the whole building, both inside and out, including any modern extensions physically attached to the building. Internal features such as staircases, fireplaces or panelling are also protected as they are an essential part of the building’s character. Any object or structure within the curtilage of a listed building which forms part of the land and has done so since July 1948 is also listed.

Abingdon County Hall

Faringdon Town Hall