Places of Worship

A guide to outline the selection criteria used when listing places of worship.

This selection guide provides first a summary historical overview of the various Christian churches down to the end of the nineteenth century – Anglican (Church of England), Catholic and Nonconformist (Dissenting) – and collectively at churches and chapels of the twentieth century. Then follows a section of the buildings of Judaism, the Mosque in England and buildings of other faiths. A final section sets out some general principles guiding the listing of places of worship concerning (among others) group value, fixtures and fittings, alteration and degree of survival, churchyard structures and grading.

Churchyard and war memorials are separately treated in the Commemorative Structures selection guide, while rectories and vicarages are briefly treated in the Suburban and Country Houses guide. The Salvation Army is referenced in the Health and Welfare Buildings selection guide. Guidelines for scheduling and otherwise managing the archaeological remains of principally early, pre-Christian, sites are provided in the scheduling selection guide on Religion and Ritual post-AD 410. The designation of post-Reformation burial grounds on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest is treated in the Landscapes of Remembrance selection guide.

This is one of a series of guides which set out some of our approaches to listing buildings. Covering twenty broad categories of building types, they including historical overviews and special considerations for listing, plus select bibliographies. They are primarily intended to develop understanding of listed buildings and structures, and to offer insight into listing decision making.