English Heritage reveals South West heritage at risk
English Heritage today (Thursday 10 October) launched the Heritage at Risk Register 2013. It reveals that in the South West, 154 Grade I and II* buildings, 1,396 scheduled monuments, 50 places of worship, 18 registered parks and gardens, one battlefield, 57 conservation areas are at risk of neglect, decay or inappropriate change. More buildings and structures have been successfully removed from the Register in the South West than added with seven removals and six additions in 2013.
Devon and Cornwall’s heritage at risk ranges from the Watch House battery and ditch in Wembury to an early 16th century stable block in Sowton and includes historic rural chapels, country houses and old industrial buildings.
Andrew Vines Planning and Conservation Director for the South West said: “We’re proud of our many successes in the South West in removing historic sites from the Register and we’re on target nationally, to save 25% or 1,137 sites that were on our Register in 2010 by 2015. But with the challenging economic climate, it is increasingly important to build on our good partnerships with owners, developers, the HLF, Natural England, councils and local groups to safeguard the South West’s heritage for future generations.”
Sites coming off the Register in 2013 include the Holy Well at Trellil, in Helston Cornwall. This Scheduled Monument dates back to the 15th century and has now been restored and repaired with the help of volunteers and a sympathetic new owner. Over the past two decades, the Well’s condition had seriously deteriorated with damage being caused by extensive scrub, ivy and tree growth. Water was also pouring through the walls of the building from the nearby stream, making the structure fragile.
The Holy Well site is now being managed, with volunteers clearing vegetation from the roof and the stonework being consolidated mainly through Cornwall’s Monument Management Scheme. Silt has been cleared from the stream behind the well to relieve pressure on the structure and allow the stream to flow around it. The stone roof will also have a natural turf capping to protect it from running water. In the long-term, the Holy Well and its enclosure will be maintained by local volunteers.
A high profile building successfully rescued in Cornwall is Grade II* listed Porthmeor Pilchard Cellars and Studios in St Ives. The Borlase Smart John Wells Trust which owns the building completed an intensive programme of repairs in 2012 with funding from the HLF, English Heritage and others. The St Ives landmark dates back 150 years and was in danger of collapse but now artists and fishermen are once again housed in the building, with fishermen in the former pilchard cellars and artists working in studios above them.
Grade I listed Old Duchy Palace (Freemasons Hall) in Lostwithiel has been repaired and consolidated and removed from the Register in 2013. A Masonic hall since 1878, the building has been bought by a preservation trust and proposals for its reuse are being developed. English Heritage helped fund the repair work which was completed in spring this year.
In Perran Foundry, repairs are complete at grade II* listed 19th century Perran Foundry Warehouse which served the former iron foundry. It forms part of the Perran Foundry site which was established in 1791. The Warehouse is now occupied and the rest of the site is being restored and converted, with an expected completion date of 2016.
In the Places of Worship category, removals include grade II* listed Church of St Philip and St James at Maryfield near Torpoint. This mid-19th century church has had its spire stonework repaired as it was in danger of collapse. The works took place last summer funded by an HLF/English Heritage grant.
In Devon, there were no buildings and structures removed from the Register this year but three of the six buildings that were added are in the county. One of those is grade I listed Stable block at Bishop’s Court, Sowton which comprises a large mid-14th century barn and early 16th century stables. The site is unused with a temporary corrugated roof. English Heritage has grant-aided a feasibility study into potential uses.
Grade II listed Christ Church in Parracombe, Barnstaple, Devon is expected to come off the Register next year following the completion of grant-aided repairs to the northern roofs and the tower which is exposed to strong winds and bad weather.
Additions in Devon in the Places of Worship category include Grade II* listed Church of St Mary, Woolfardisworthy, where the cracks to the tower stonework are worsening and works are needed to rebuild part of the corner of the tower.
KEY FACTS FROM THE HERITAGE AT RISK REGISTER 2013 IN THE SOUTH WEST:
• 2.9% of grade I and II* listed buildings (excluding places of worship) are at risk in the South West - 154 buildings. Nationally, 4.1% of grade I and II* listed buildings are at risk.
• Of the 464 places of worship surveyed in the South West, 50 are on the Register. 10 places of worship have been removed from the Register following repair work.
• 3,265 (16.5%) of England's 19,792 scheduled monuments are on the Register, of which 1,396 are in the South West
• 100 (6.2%) of England's 1,624 registered parks and gardens are on the Register. In the South West, 18 are on the Register, the same as last year
• 510 (6.2%) of the 8,179 surveyed conservation areas in England are on the Register. 57 (4.9%) of the 1,175 conservation areas surveyed in the South West are on the Register. Over the past year, 4 have been removed but 6 have been added
• In 2012/13, £1.5 million in grants was offered to 53 sites on the Register
• More than half the buildings on the original Register in 1999 have now been saved – 58%
The 6 Buildings and Structures in the South West added to the Register in 2013 are:
Watch House battery and ditch, Wembury, Devon
Little Trethewey Methodist Chapel, Little Trethewey, St Levin, Cornwall
Stable Block at Bishop’s Court, Sowton, Devon
Prescott Baptist Chapel, Culmstock, Devon
Blocks 1 and 2 and linking arcade to Hanham Hall Hospital, Whittucks Road, Hanham Abbots, Gloucestershire
Courtfield House, Polebarn Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire
The 7 Buildings and Structures in the South West removed from the Register are:
Timber Lodge, Blaise Castle Estate, Henbury Road, Henbury, Bristol
Warehouse, Perran Foundry, Perran Wharf, Mylor, Cornwall
Freemasons Hall, Quay Street, Lostwithiel, Cornwall
Porthmeor Pilchard Cellars and Studios, Back Road West, St Ives, Cornwall
Orangery at Tyntesfield, Tyntesfield, Wraxall, North Somerset
Prankerd chest tomb in churchyard, St John the Evangelist, Bathwell Lane, Milborne Port, Somerset
Sandsfoot Castle, Weymouth, Dorset
