“The Preservation of Places of Interest or Beauty” is a lecture delivered by Sir Robert Hunter at the University of Manchester in 1907. Sir Robert Hunter KCB (1844–1913) was a civil servant and solicitor who co-founded the National Trust. He campaigned for the conservation of public open spaces, working with other notable advocates including and Hardwicke Rawnsley and Octavia Hill. Hunter was also solicitor to the General Post Office, and it is estimates that he saved the taxpayer in Britain many millions of pounds while in this role. This essay will appeal to those with an interest in the history of British conservationism and is not to be missed by collectors of historically significant literature. Read & Co. Great Essays is republishing this classic essay now complete with an obituary of the author from a 1913 edition of “The Times”.