11 h. ago ‘A Cartier store is better protected’: Louvre heist puts spotlight on security

Securing historic public-facing buildings has never been easy, and is even less so in times of economic constraintTo break into the world’s most-visited museum in broad daylight, grab eight pieces of priceless Napoleonic jewellery and vanish into the Paris traffic on humble scooters may seem like the most audacious of crimes, carried out for international notoriety and ensuing Hollywood film treatments.Experts who observe trends in international art crime, however, see Sunday morning’s heist at the Louvre as something more prosaic: the latest in a series of smash-and-grab thefts focused more on the material value of precious stones or metals than the artifacts’ significance, continuing a pattern that has emerged over the last decade in Germany, Britain and the US. The location, they suggest, would have been of secondary concern to the criminals. Continue reading...

Events

16 h. ago I skipped the Cotswolds for a nearby beauty spot which is best this time of year

I love pretty market towns, historic buildings, boutique shops and cosy pubs — so do lots of other people

Politics

42 h. ago French theme park firm won UK government support despite far

Tory trade minister promised to ‘assist’ plans to open £600m Puy du Fou site in Oxfordshire, emails showsA French business that is planning to build a vast £600m historical theme park in rural Oxfordshire won help for its plans from the previous government despite its founding family’s ties to the far right and past praise of Vladimir Putin.Correspondence obtained under freedom of information (FoI) laws showed the Conservative peer Dominic Johnson, a business and trade minister in Rishi Sunak’s government, promised to “assist” Puy du Fou – one of France’s most popular theme parks – in finding a UK site. Continue reading...

Politics

2 d. ago I skipped the Cotswolds for this underrated Welsh valley and it’s even better in autumn

I love pretty market towns with historic buildings, meandering rivers, boutique shops, and cosy pubs – but unfortunately so do many other people

Politics

3 d. ago Historic building in Motherwell is the perfect place to rock to some favourite Scottish sounds

The night was arranged by Richard Conte of the Studio Café.

Politics

5 d. ago The historic small building next to Greater Manchester canal to be auctioned off

The building is steeped in more than 100 years of history.

Politics

6 d. ago The Guardian view on the rising risk from flooding: uninsurable buildings should focus minds on climate adaptation | Editorial

The bleak future faced by one small town offers a cautionary tale about the threat from global heatingThe bleak prospect facing the market town of Tenbury Wells in Worcestershire, due to rising flood risks, is first and foremost a problem for locals. After seven floods in four years, and with plans for new flood defences around the town abandoned after costs rose to £30m, the town council announced this month that three buildings it owns, including a theatre and historic pump rooms, no longer have insurance. Independent retailers are in a similar situation, and some are packing up as a result. The number of empty properties is growing.Tenbury is at higher risk than most places from floods, due to its low-lying position between the River Teme and Kyre Brook. But the threat it faces is not unique, and will become more common in future. Last year UK insurers paid out a record £585m for weather-related damage to homes and possessions, after unusually s...

Events

6 d. ago It's the 'end of an era' as building with rich Renfrewshire history razed

Demolition work on the St James' Business Centre closes a chapter in Linwood's history.

Politics

7 d. ago The Greater Manchester park with 600 acres to explore and incredible autumn colours

It has beautiful woodland walks, a scenic boating lake and historic buildings

Politics

8 d. ago Abandoned and empty building that was once at the heart of a booming Welsh coal port

They stood abandoned for years, but now it's hoped new life isn't far away for some of Cardiff Bay's historic buildings

Politics

9 d. ago Historic Cardiff building which once hosted Bob Geldof and Kelly Jones brings back live gigs

The Coal Exchange will once again stage live music

Politics

1 week ago Anger over ‘sacrilegious’ graffiti art installation at Canterbury Cathedral

Responses to the project on display at the historic building have been mixed

Politics

1 week ago The historic buildings of Scotland fighting for their future

How we care for Scotland’s historic properties is changing

Politics

1 week ago Scotland's historic buildings must not be 'left to rot' as tough choices loom

Historic Environment Scotland embarks on ‘difficult and emotional’ decisions over the future of its 300 properties.

Politics

2 w. ago Beloved dessert café in historic Manchester building closes after 12 years

'I don’t feel like I’m ending something, it feels like I’m actually completing it'

Politics

2 w. ago ‘Like it had been put on Earth specially for me’: readers’ favourite European city breaks

From the later summer glow of Marseille to polar nights in Tromsø, our tipsters choose their favourite cities • Tell us about a great trip you’ve had since hitting 60 – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucherSibiu, the former capital of Transylvania, proved a wonderful place to visit. The city’s old town is on a hill, with every other building in the three main squares and the sidestreets seemingly a historic monument, dominated by the medieval Lutheran cathedral of Saint Mary. The characteristic design of attic windows makes it clear why Sibiu is called “the town of a thousand eyes”, and the Teutsch Haus provides a brilliant history of the region and the Transylvanian Saxons. The old town is crammed full of restaurants and cafes, and down by the river there is a local market with giant aubergines, tomatoes and peppers. For an evening glass, Wine Not has a vast selection of Romanian (and Moldovan) wines, and a black cat to talk to.Barbara Forbes Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Historic buildings in Edinburgh and Glasgow to be converted into new homes

“When I converted my own home into flats in the early 1980s, I had no idea it would grow into this” – Humayun Reza

Politics

2 w. ago ‘Landmark opportunity’ as building steeped in history on the market for £275,000

Marketing material for the sale of Commerce House says it's ‘considered suitable for a variety of uses'

Economics

2 w. ago A brand new pub will open in a historic west London building this month

A brand new pub will open in a historic west London building this month  Time Out Worldwide

Politics

3 w. ago ‘Small wonders exist alongside our everyday lives’: Kisara Okada’s best phone picture

Nature and manmade come together in the Tokyo-based photographer’s shot of a construction siteTokyo-based Kisara Okada was passing through the business district, Marunouchi, on her way to an osteopathy session last month, when the extended neck of a construction crane caught her eye. “In the Meiji era, when the area was developed from grassland, the model was the streets of London,” Okada says. “You can still find high-rise buildings that preserve traces of that history. Today, the area is undergoing redevelopment, so I wanted to show part of that process.”Okada defines the theme of her street images as “sites of miracles that the city has overlooked”. Editing on this shot was minimal. “I don’t want to create painterly beauty; rather, share the small wonders that exist alongside our everyday lives,” she says. Continue reading...

Politics