Historic buildings

Buildings of special architectural or historic interest are often ‘listed’ to record the best of Northern Ireland's architectural heritage. You can find out which buildings are listed by accessing the Northern Ireland Buildings Database.

Northern Ireland Buildings Database

Protecting buildings of architectural and historic importance began in Northern Ireland in 1974. The first survey ended in 1994. A second survey has been ongoing since.

• Details of the second survey into protected buildings in Northern Ireland - NI Environment Agency website

Historic buildings are listed as recorded evidence of how people lived in the past. Listed buildings are useful references for architects designing contemporary architecture.

Almost any type of man-made structure can be listed; the present list includes fountains, memorials, town stocks and telephone boxes.

You can nominate a building to be listed by writing to the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. Check that the building is not already listed on the Buildings Database. Once your nomination is received, an architect will visit the building or structure and will decide if further research should be commissioned.

A guidance document and flowchart explain the listing process.

• Northern Ireland Buildings Database - NI Environment Agency website
• How to get a building listed - NI Environment Agency website (PDF 37 KB)
• The listing process - flowchart on NI Environment Agency website (PDF 34 KB)
• Help with PDF files

More useful links

• Historic buildings - FAQs - NI Environment Agency website