In 1908, a royal commission concluded that there were gaps between these two pieces of legislation and the Ancient Monuments Protection Act of 1910.

The experience left a deep impression on Lord Curzon, who determined that new laws had to be enacted to protect Britain's heritage.

Powers were given to the board, with parliamentary approval, to issue preservation orders to protect monuments and extend the public right of access to these.

[5] Some heritage bodies have urged the exemption's abolition, arguing that it facilitates irreparable damage to historic church interiors in the name of renovation.

Howell & Sutton (1989) argued on behalf of The Victorian Society: The maltreatment of churches is facilitated by the existence of the so-called “Ecclesiastical Exemption” .