Serpula (fungus) cover the surface they are growing on (known as the substrate). The hymenophore, or spore-forming surface, generally has a wrinkled appearance. The species grow on, and digest, mainly coniferous wood, causing a process known as brown rot. One species, dry rot ("S. lacrymans"), is a highly destructive agent of houses. Damp structural timber is an ideal substrate for the germination of "Serpula" spores. The fungal hyphae penetrate the wood and release enzymes that break down structural polysaccharides such as cellulose. There may be no external indications that the fungus is present until the rot is far advanced and fruit bodies
The Society for the Preservation of Historic Buildings The Society for the Preservation of Historic Buildings The Society for the Preservation of Historic Buildings of the United Kingdom was founded initially as a pressure group to counter the demolition of historic buildings and it resolved later to acquire historically significant properties in order to maintain and protect them itself. In a 2007 merger, the goodwill of the Society was acquired by a registered Nonprofit organisation, Ruins on the Roam Limited, which adopted the Society's name and assets, with the intention to continue its work. The Society is noted in an architectural journal of 1969. The Society was dissolved