This selection guide provides first a summary historical overview of the various Christian churches down to the end of the nineteenth century - Anglican (Church of England), Catholic and Nonconformist (Dissenting) - and collectively at churches and chapels of the twentieth century. Then follows a section of the buildings of Judaism, the Mosque in England and buildings of other faiths. A final section sets out some general principles guiding the listing of places of worship concerning (among others) group value, fixtures and fittings, alteration and degree of survival, churchyard structures and grading. Places of worship of all faiths and denominations can be supremely uplifting buildings. Places of worship can also be the most significant repositories of a community's architectural and artistic achievement, and their prominence in the historic environment is universally accepted. Many of our most important historic buildings are places of worship and this is reflected in the statutory lists: 45 per cent of all Grade I listed buildings are churches. People feel strongly about them, whether or not they are active members of a worshipping congregation, and they are often repositories for the collective memories of the local communities, and their historic place of burial. With their strong claims to special architectural, archaeological, artistic, historic and cultural interest, places of worship deserve considerable respect and care.