William Morris and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (Electronic book text)

The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, founded by artist and craftsman William Morris in 1877, sought to preserve the integrity of historic buildings by preventing unnecessary repairs and additions. William Morris' intention and that of the SPAB, as outlined by the original manifesto, was that buildings of any period had a life that was best protected through the conservative repair of what was falling into ruin and the prevention of injury to buildings by safeguarding them as much as possible and practical. This practice became known as historic preservation. The extremes of the Gothic Revival motivated the founding of the SPAB: in the mid-nineteenth century, many historic buildings were restored to appear Gothic in style. Although some restoration had occurred in past centuries, it was in Morris' age that this practice became excessive. Early SPAB work involved speaking against restoration and providing alternate ideas to promote preservation.