The founding of the Society was proposed in November 1957 by Anne Parsons, Countess of Rosse at her remarkably-preserved Victorian home at 18 Stafford Terrace, Kensington, with the intention of countering the widely prevalent antipathy to 19th- and early 20th-century architecture. From the 1890s into the 20th century, Victorian art had been under attack, critics writing of "the nineteenth century architectural tragedy", ridiculing "the uncompromising ugliness" of the era's buildings and attacking the "sadistic hatred of beauty" of its architects. The commonly-held view had been expressed by P. G. Wodehouse in his 1933 novel, Summer Moonshine: "Whatever may be said in favour of the Victorians, it is pretty generally admitted that few of them were to be trusted within reach of a trowel and a pile of bricks." The first meeting was held at Linley Sambourne House on 28 February 1958. Among its thirty founder members were the first secretaryJohn Betjeman, Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Nikolaus Pevsner, who became Chairman in 1964. Former Bletchley Park codebreaker, Jane Fawcett, managed the society's affairs as secretary from 1964 to 1976. The Twentieth Century Society undertakes a similar protective role for post-1914 buildings and the Georgian Group for those built between 1700 and 1840.
Work
The society has worked to save numerous landmark buildings such as St Pancras Station, Albert Dock in Liverpool, the Foreign Office and Oxford University Museum. Its campaigns have not always been successful, notably its failed attempts to save the Euston Arch from demolition in 1961. As well as being a statutory consultee on works to listed buildings the Society also:
Provides advice to churches and local planning authorities on how Victorian and Edwardian buildings and landscapes can be adapted to modern use, while keeping what is distinctive about them.
Advises members of the public on how they can help shape the future of their local Victorian and Edwardian buildings and landscapes.
Provides information to owners of Victorian and Edwardian houses about how they can better look after their buildings.
Helps people understand, appreciate and enjoy the architectural heritage of the Victorian and Edwardian period through its publications and events.
Examples of their work with churches include making complaints against proposals of church PCCs to use upholstered chairs during renovation, and appealing against proposals to raise money by selling original features. A recent campaign of The Victorian Society has taken on the preservation of Victorian gasometers after utility companies announced plans to demolish nearly 200 of the now-outdated structures. Christopher Costelloe, director of The Victorian Society, said in regards to the group's efforts, "Gasometers, by their very size and structure, cannot help but become landmarks. are singularly dramatic structures for all their emptiness." The Society runs an annual list of the Top Ten Most Endangered Victorian or Edwardian Buildings in England and Wales.
''The Victorian'' magazine
Published three times a year since 1998 for the members of the Society, The Victorian magazine contains book reviews, society news and events, casework reports, and interviews.
