SOANE Architects — Listed Building & Heritage Conservation Architects

What listed building and heritage conservation architecture involves

A listed building is a structure recognised by Historic England, Cadw, Historic Environment Scotland or the Northern Ireland Environment Agency for its architectural or historic interest. Any work that affects its character — repair, alteration, extension or change of use — requires listed building consent alongside, or instead of, ordinary planning permission. Heritage conservation architecture is the discipline of designing that work with precision: reading the fabric, understanding what is significant, and proposing interventions that protect the listing whilst enabling the building to serve a viable future.

The role of a conservation architect extends well beyond drawings. It includes assessing condition, advising on appropriate materials and techniques, preparing heritage statements and design-and-access documents, negotiating with conservation officers and amenity societies, and overseeing construction so that what is built matches what was consented. On Grade I and Grade II* buildings, and on complex estates, the judgement required is cumulative — built over years of practice on fabric that cannot be replaced.

Why credential status matters

Not every architect is qualified to lead work on listed buildings. In the United Kingdom, anyone calling themselves an architect must be registered with the Architects Registration Board (ARB). Beyond that baseline, the RIBA Conservation Register identifies practitioners who have demonstrated specialist competence in building conservation — assessed against published criteria and maintained through continuing professional development. Engaging a RIBA Conservation Registrant gives clients, local authorities and funders a verifiable assurance that conservation principles will govern the scheme from the outset.

SOANE Architects Ltd is led by Giles Paul Shorter, a RIBA Chartered Architect, ARB Registered and RIBA Conservation Registrant, with over twenty years in practice and more than seventeen years specialising in listed and historic buildings — from Grade II conversions to Grade I country estates. Credentials are stated exactly, never inflated.

How SOANE works

The practice takes a conservation-led but never timid approach. Heritage discipline — reading the asset, respecting the listing, working with the grain of a building — is, in our hands, the route to value rather than a constraint upon it. Architecture, interiors, furniture and construction management sit under one roof, so a client deals with one practice and one standard from the first sketch to the finished room. Every commission begins with a Preliminary Planning and Heritage Appraisal — a short, plain-English report on the building, what protects it and what the plans would need. Read a sample appraisal, or find answers to common questions about listed buildings.

Commissions span private residential work, country houses and heritage estates across the United Kingdom and internationally, where permitted. Many projects remain confidential; those shown on this site appear with the client's permission. If you are considering work on a listed or historic building, call Giles on +44 (0)7737 745211 or send a WhatsApp voice note to begin a conversation in confidence, or explore our selected work and approach.

Quicker still

RIBA Chartered Architect · ARB Registered · RIBA Conservation Registrant

Over 20 years in architecture · 17+ specialising in listed and historic buildings