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Which restoration practices did the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings oppose?
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The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), founded by William Morris in 1877, was established to combat the destructive restoration methods frequently applied to historic cathedrals and parish churches in Great Britain.12
The society, often nicknamed "Anti-Scrape," vehemently opposed the following practices:
- Conjectural restorations: These were speculative projects that attempted to rebuild or alter structures based on assumptions rather than historical evidence, such as the new west front of St. Albans Cathedral.1
- Indiscriminate refacing: The society strongly objected to the practice of stripping away or replacing original, weathered stonework.1
By opposing these methods, the SPAB sought to preserve the integrity of original architectural fabric, reflecting the belief that the greatest glory of a building lies in its age.1