Politics and Preservation: A policy history of the built heritage 1882-1996 (Planning, History and Environment Series) Paperback – 17 July 1997

This is an excellent account of the shifts in public and professional views and official policies relating to urban conservation, particularly those in Britain in the 1960s and 1970s. John Delafons was himself a highly respected senior civil servant who witnessed some of the key processes. Drawing on notable contemporary sources and diaries, especially those of Richard Crossman, Delafons tracks the endeavours of politicians, senior civil servants, professional groups and concerned individuals to have the needs of conservation properly understood, acknowledged and legally incorporated into the planning system. It is particularly good at identifying and crediting some key figures, not perhaps so well known but whose work was enormously influential, most notably the talented architect/planner/artist Roy Worskett. Worskett's work while in the then Ministry of Housing and Local Government (subsequently part of the newly formed Department of the Environment) was ultimately presented in his seminal book 'The Character of Towns'.

This book is a must read text for those studying Conservation Planning. The book charts the history of Conservation Planning and is a must buy you'll refer to time and time again. Its a good first buy if you're looking to buy a text on conservation. The book and author has been refered to in practically every book on conservation written since. This shows how important a text this has become. Go buy a copy!