Victorian Society

The Victorian Society was founded in 1958 to raise awareness and promote preservation of architecture and design created between 1843 and 1914. At the time of its foundation, property developers, architects and widespread public opinion viewed Victorian design as ugly and it was swept aside in favour of Modernism. The Society was keen to preserve the finest examples of Victorian design but in order to do so, needed to devise standards for selecting the best. Early members included H S Goodhart-Rendel, John Betjeman, Christopher Hussey, John Brandon-Jones, Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Nikolaus Pevsner and the Society's first chairman was architect and town planner Lionel Brett, 4th Viscount Esher.

The original objects of the Society were to:

• draw attention to the merits and significance of the best of Victorian and Edwardian architecture, design crafts and decoration,

  • encourage the study of these, and that of related social history,
  • provide a point of contact for scholars of the period and to compile a register of research,
  • help to form a basis of aesthetic discrimination,
  • prevent the needless destruction of important Victorian and Edwardian buildings, and of their contents,
  • co-operate with the Ministry of Housing in the listing and protection of Victorian and Edwardian buildings of architectural and historic value,
  • make representations to local authorities and to give evidence at public enquiries.

  The Society's regular income consisted primarily of subscriptions from members. Benefits provided to members included town walks, building visits, Victorian-themed parties, conferences, lectures, and The Victorian, a triennial magazine. Early promotional activities included organising an exhibition of Victorian paintings in 1961 and cooperating in a conference in 1964 about the challenges facing the preservation and use of Victorian churches.

  The Society is subdivided into regional branches to focus on surveying buildings outside London. Initially, these were Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham groups but by 2004, there were a further five: Leicester, Great Eastern, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and South Wales. The Society was governed by a Council who were advised by a separate Committee. A series of sub committees were responsible for managing the day to day running of the Society.

  The Buildings Sub-Committee is responsible for assessing the value of Victorian buildings when listed building consent affecting them is sought from local planning authorities. On the basis of this evaluation, it makes its views known to planning authorities, developers and English Heritage. The Society will provide evidence to public inquiries held relating to Victorian and Edwardian buildings. On occasions, it has mounted active campaigns to protect buildings of special significance. An early example was the 'Save the Arch' campaign to prevent the demolition of the arch at Euston railway station. Other notable campaigns focused on the restoration of the Albert Memorial and the replacement of a Pugin stained glass window in Sherburne Abbey.

  The Victorian Society began managing Linley Sambourne House in Stafford Terrace, London as a museum in Autumn 1980. The house, built in the 1870s, was formerly the home of Anne, Countess of Rosse (nee Messell) and was where, at a party in 1957, Anne proposed setting up a Victorian society. She sold the house and its contents to the Greater London Council in 1980. The museum is now operated by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

  The Society's offices have previously been at 55 Great Ormond Street, London WC1 and 29 Exhibition Road, London SW7. They are currently at 1 Priory Gardens, Bedford Park, London W4.