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London Metropolitan Archives

ARCHITECT'S DEPARTMENT: LONDON BUILDING ACTS


IDENTITY STATEMENT

Reference code(s): LCC/AR/BA

Held at: London Metropolitan Archives

Title: ARCHITECT'S DEPARTMENT: LONDON BUILDING ACTS

Date(s): 1856-1967

Level of description: Collection

Extent: 135.13 linear metres

Name of creator(s): LCC | London County Council x London County Council

CONTEXT

Administrative/Biographical history:

The London Building Act of 1894 was introduced to regulate various aspects of construction within the metropolis, including the making of new streets; the widening of streets; building frontage; the naming and numbering of streets; the height of buildings; space around buildings; the construction of buildings including the thickness of walls, use of timbers, party walls, roofs, chimneys and flues, ovens, staircases and projections; the rights of building owners; dangerous structures; noxious businesses and sky signs. The London County Council was given power to appoint a "superintending architect of metropolitan buildings" to oversee the enforcement of regulations outlined in the Act. Actual enforcement would be done by the District Surveyors, who had to make a monthly return to the Council reporting on any new buildings and any infringement of the Act. The LCC were also given the power to make bye-laws relating to buildings.

The Act was followed by various others which added to the powers of the LCC relating to the regulation of construction, including the London Building Act 1894 (Amendment) Act, 1898; the London County Council (General Powers) Acts, 1908 and 1909; several Housing and Planning Acts and LCC bye-laws.

CONTENT

Scope and content/abstract:

Records of the London County Council Architect's Department relating to the control of buildings and streets under the London Buildings Act 1894 and subsequent Acts. Records include subject and policy files (including procedures, precedents, diagrams, plans, petitions, legislation, sub-committee papers, statistics, bye-laws, reviews, standards and fire reports), 1856-1965; subject and policy files for the District Surveyors, 1856-1936; subject and policy files for new building materials, 1891-1941; returns and abstracts of the District Surveyors, 1889-1954; registers of alterations to names of streets and numbering of houses, 1856-1935; reports, 1889-1965, on matters concerning building regulation, on matters affecting the District Surveyors and on the naming and numbering of streets; Ordnance Survey maps of London amended to show street name changes, proposed new roads, building numbering, borough boundaries and future road positions, 1883-1967.

ACCESS AND USE

Language/scripts of material: English

System of arrangement:

LCC/AR/BA/01: Subject Files; LCC/AR/BA/02: District Surveyor Subject Files; LCC/AR/BA/03: New building materials; LCC/AR/BA/05: Registers of alterations; LCC/AR/BA/06: Reports; LCC/AR/BA/07: Maps.

Conditions governing access:

Available for general access

Conditions governing reproduction:

Copyright: City of London

Physical characteristics:

Fit

Finding aids:

Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm

ARCHIVAL INFORMATION

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information:

Accruals:

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Received in multiple accessions: AC/55/031; AC/55/033; AC/55/036; AC/55/042; AC/55/046; AC/55/048; AC/55/051; AC/55/057; AC/55/060; AC/55/063; AC/55/067; AC/55/069; AC/55/074; AC/55/077; AC/55/087; AC/55/098; AC/55/109

ALLIED MATERIALS

Existence and location of originals:

Existence and location of copies:

Related material:

Papers of the LCC Architect's Department: LCC/AR/BA: London Building Acts; LCC/AR/CB: Council Buildings, LCC/AR/CD: Civil Defence; LCC/AR/CON: Contracts; LCC/AR/GEN: Organisational Financial and General; LCC/AR/HB: Historic Buildings, LCC/AR/HS: Housing; LCC/AR/PP: Presented Plans; LCC/AR/SCH: Council Buildings; LCC/AR/TH: Theatres, Cinemas and Places of Entertainment; LCC/AR/TP: Town Planning; LCC/AR/WAR: Emergency Wartime Measures.

Publication note:

For further information see The London Building Acts 1894-1909: a text book on the law relating to building in the metropolis by Banister Fletcher (various editions).

DESCRIPTION NOTES

Note:

Rules or conventions: Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions: April to June 2009


INDEX ENTRIES
Subjects
Addresses (locations) | Geographical data | Geography
Architects | Artists
Building construction | Building operations | Construction engineering
Building design | Construction engineering
Building maintenance | Building operations | Construction engineering
Building surveyors | Surveyors | People by occupation | People
Buildings | Architecture
Planning authorities | Local authorities | Local government | Public administration | Government
Regulation | Business practice and regulation | Business management | Management
Road construction | Road engineering | Civil engineering | Construction engineering
Streets | Roads | Transport infrastructure
Town and country planning legislation | Legislation | Law
Building materials

Personal names

Corporate names
Architect's Department | London County Council
LCC | London County Council x London County Council

Places
London | England | UK | Western Europe | Europe