Ancient Monuments Society facts for kids
The Ancient Monuments Society (AMS) is a special group of experts and a non-profit organization in England and Wales. It was started in 1924 to study and help protect old buildings, historic places, and beautiful old crafts. Since October 2021, this group has been known by a new name: Historic Buildings & Places (HB&P). They work hard to make sure important old structures are kept safe for everyone to enjoy.
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What They Do
The Ancient Monuments Society, now called Historic Buildings & Places, is one of the main groups that helps protect England's heritage. They are known as a "National Amenity Society." This means that if someone wants to make big changes to a very old or important building, especially if they want to knock part of it down, the society must be told. They then check the plans to make sure the building's history and beauty are not lost. This special arrangement helps save many historic places.
Protecting Historic Places
The society's main job is to look after buildings that are "listed." A listed building is one that has been officially recognized as important because of its history or special design. If someone wants to change a listed building, they need special permission called "listed building consent." The society gets involved when these changes include knocking down any part of the building. They give advice to make sure these old treasures are preserved.
New Name and Identity
In 2021, the leaders of the society decided to use a new name. From October 1, 2021, they started using "Historic Buildings & Places" as their everyday working name. This new name helps people understand more easily what the organization is all about: protecting historic buildings and important places.
Who Leads the Society
The Ancient Monuments Society, or Historic Buildings & Places, has important people who help lead it. The president of the society is Richard Fletcher-Vane, 2nd Baron Inglewood. The person in charge of the main group of leaders, called the trustees, is an architect named Giles Quarme. Since February 2023, the director, who manages the daily work, is Liz Power. She used to be the director of the London Museum of Water & Steam.
Working with Other Groups
For many years, from 1993 to 2021, the Ancient Monuments Society worked closely with another group called the Friends of Friendless Churches. They even shared an office and some staff members. Both groups had a joint membership plan, but they kept their money and leaders separate. This partnership started because a person named Ivor Bulmer-Thomas helped create the Friends of Friendless Churches, and he was also a leader at the Ancient Monuments Society. The two groups decided to end their partnership in a friendly way on September 27, 2021.
