Listed buildings

There are three grades of listed buildings to show their relative importance:

• Grade I buildings of exceptional interest (3% of all listed buildings nationally)
• Grade II* particularly important buildings of more than special interest (5% of all listed buildings)
• Grade II buildings of special interest - warranting every effort to preserve them (92% of all listed buildings)

South Tyneside has:

• 4 Grade I listed buildings
• 6 Grade II* listed buildings
• 186 Grade II listed buildings

Grade I listed buildings in South Tyneside

1. Church of St. Nicholas, Boldon
2. Church of St. Paul, Jarrow
3. Monastery of St. Paul, Jarrow
4. The Old Town Hall, South Shields

Criteria

The following are the main criteria which the Secretary of State applies as appropriate in deciding which buildings to include in the statutory lists:

• Architectural interest, such as buildings which are of importance to the nation for the interest of their architectural design, decoration and craftsmanship; also important examples of particular building types and techniques (e.g. buildings displaying technological innovation or virtuosity) and significant plan forms
• Historic Interest, including buildings which illustrate important aspects of the nation's social, economic, cultural or military history
• Close historical association with nationally important people or events
• Group value, especially where buildings comprise an important architectural or historic unity or a fine example of planning (e.g. squares, terraces or model villages)

Other considerations

Age and rarity are also relevant considerations, particularly where buildings are proposed for listing on the strength of their historic interest.

All buildings built before 1700 which survive in anything like their original condition are listed.

Most buildings of about 1700 to 1840 are listed, although some selection is necessary to identify the best examples of particular building types, and only buildings of definite quality and character are listed.

After about 1840, because of the greatly increased number of buildings erected and the much larger numbers that have survived, greater selection is necessary to identify the best examples of particular building types and only buildings of definite quality and character are listed.

For the same reasons only selected buildings from the period after 1914 are normally listed.

Buildings which are less than 30 years old are normally listed only if they are of outstanding quality and under threat.

Buildings which are under 10 years old are not listed.

In recent years the Department for Culture, Media & Sport has used a thematic approach to listed buildings, identifying key examples for each range of building types - for example, educational, residential and industrial.

The statutory lists give only brief details and a description of each building, primarily to help identification.

They do not itemise all the particular features of interest.

The whole of the building (interior and exterior) is subject to the listed status and protection, as well as those items of specific interest highlighted in the listed building description.