Men from the Ministry

I've just finished Simon Thurley's comprehensive study of historical preservation in England over the period extending back to the mid-nineteenth century. 

The book is detailed and slow at points, but succeeds in posing - and later answering - a number of important questions regarding the modern preservation movement. These questions include:

• How are buildings different in their preservation than works of art?
• What are the responsibilities of the state toward the preservation of properties that remain occupied? 
• What are the responsibilities (if any) of landowners to the preservation of structures on their estates?
• What constitutes a monument of "national significance"?
• Under what circumstance should public funds be used to preserve religious artifacts?

I'll be writing a longer review of Men from the Ministry for The Portland Book Review. More on that to come...

But for now, in this age of digital culture, when so little can be touched (and even less visited), let me recommend Thurley's book: maybe not all of it, but several chapters serve as a sound reminder of the history surrounding us, and the efforts we'll need to make - as individuals and as governments - to preserve it moving forward.