The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) (sometimes known as Anti-Scrape) is an amenity society founded by William Morris, Philip Webb and others, in 1877; to oppose what they saw as destructive 'restoration' of ancient buildings then occurring in Victorian England; 'ancient' being used in the wider sense of 'very old' rather than the more usual modern one of 'pre-medieval'.
Morris was particularly concerned about the practice, which he described as 'forgery', of attempting to return functioning buildings to an idealised state from the distant past, which often involved the removal of elements added in their later development, and which Morris saw as contributing to their interest as documents of the past. Instead, he proposed that ancient buildings should be repaired, not restored, so that their entire history would be protected as cultural heritage. Today, these principles are widely accepted.
The architect A. R. Powys served as the Secretary of the SPAB for 25 years in the early 20th century.
referenceEver curious about what that abbreviation stands for? fullforms has got them all listed out for you to explore. Simply,Choose a subject/topic and get started on a self-paced learning journey in a world of fullforms.
Allow To Receive Free Coins Credit 🪙