Serie 100 - Preservation of Ancient Cottages

The campaign for the preservation of ancient cottages began at a special meeting in May 1926 when Sir Frank Baines read a paper entitled 'The Preservation of Ancient Cottages', during which he announced that the Society had undertaken 'to initiate and endeavour to organise a movement, directed towards the final preservation of the cottage architecture of this country' and that the Society would 'call to a conference all those anxious to help and devise a scheme to accomplish our aims'. This conference was held on January 26, 1927 with the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin in the chair. He proposed a resolution approving the action of the Society and signifying the intention of the meeting 'to assist in the establishment of a substantial fund for application on the broadest national lines in furtherance of this movement'.\nBy July 1927 the amount received had reached just over £4,500 and eventually reached £15,000. In the early days of the campaign the Society was successful in saving the three Thomas a Becket cottages near Worthing and it purchased and reconditioned the group of cottages known as Arlington Row at Bilbury, Gloucestershire, among others.\nIn 1929 the Society purchased in its entirety the village of West Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which was then about to be put up for sale in 60 lots. In 1934, after extensive repairs, the Society handed over the village to the National Trust for permanent preservation. \nThe Society took no further important action in this campaign until 1953 when it decided to expend the balance of the fund, over £1000. It approached the National Trust and was responsible for the overhaul and repair of the roofs of the famous group of cottages at Chiddingstone in Kent.\n\nSeries includes minutes of a committee, printed material and images