Briefing: Engineering history, conservation and heritage

The study of the history of civil and building engineering began to grow following the Second World War. Initially it was due largely to the passions of certain individuals – L.T.C. Rolt, Alec Skempton and Charles Hadfield to name three of the best known. Their concern was largely to raise awareness of the legacy of Britain’s industrial revolution, whose 18th and 19th century industries and infrastructure (mainly factories, canals and railways) were falling into decline and disuse. Since the 1940s, care for these cultural assets has grown alongside the development of the idea of heritage, especially with regard to architecture...