The Protected Vista An Intellectual and Cultural History

The Protected Vista draws a historical lineage from the eighteenth-century picturesque to present-day planning policy, highlighting how the values embedded within familiar views have developed over time through appropriation by diverse groups for cultural and political purposes. The book examines the intellectual construction of the protected vista, questioning the values entrenched within the view, by whom, and how they are observed and disseminated, to reveal how these views have been, and continue to be, part of a changing historical and political narrative. With a deeper knowledge and understanding of the shifting values in urban views, we will be better equipped to make decisions surrounding their protection in our urban centres. The book identifies the origins of current view protection policy in the aesthetic convention of the picturesque, drawing on a range of illustrated examples in the UK, the US, Australia, Canada and South Africa, to serve as a useful referencefor students, researchers and academics in architecture, architectural conservation, landscape and urban planning.

Acknowledgements. Introduction. 1. The Origins of the Protected View 2. Translating Images of Richmond: Virginia, USA 3. Two American Richmonds: 'Richmond Hill', New York and Richmond, Virginia4. Richmond, NSW, Australia 5. Richmond Hill, Port Elizabeth, South AfricaConclusion.Bibliography. Index

Tom Brigden is Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow at Newcastle University, UK, and Associate at Purcell, the UK's leading conservation specialist. His heritage consultancy work has included compiling view assessments for significant historic buildings, from London to Melbourne, Australia.