Two buildings added to annual endangered list
Two buildings in the South West have made it onto the annual endangered list.
The Top Ten Endangered Victorian and Edwardian Buildings list is published by the Victorian Society.
All the buildings in the Top Ten are nationally important Grade II listed buildings in real risk of being lost if action is not taken in the immediate future.
The 2023 list includes: an earl’s mansion that became a hostel for the homeless, a church where the congregation can no longer hold services, two engineering marvels that saved lives by ensuring water free of sewage, and a club where newly enfranchised voters could meet. Details of each of the Grade II listed buildings, and the threats they face, can be found on the links below.
Griff Rhys Jones, TV presenter and Victorian Society president, said: “It’s pretty extraordinary that every year we get this list of worthy, interesting and valuable historic buildings which are under threat. Some people may think that the job is done with planning. But conservation has to keep on fighting.
“Once again, the buildings here show how inventive and fascinating the Victorians and Edwardians can be. These are fascinating buildings. And what a huge part these pioneers played in the making of our country. After all sewage works are in the news every day. Water too. Here’s a water tower. Poor relief is still a national concern. Schools have never been more important. The Victorians laid the foundations for our needs in life and country, and they have left fantastic useful structures behind as testament to that story.
Top 10 Endangered Buildings 2023 (in no particular order)
• St Andrew’s Church, Temple Grafton, Warwickshire, West Midlands (Grade II, 1875, Frederick Preedy)
• Office for the Board of Guardians of Walsall Poor Law Union, Walsall, West Midlands (Grade II, 1898-1900, Henry E. Lavender)
• Blackborough House, Kentisbeare, Devon (Grade II, 1838, James Thomas Knowles senior)
• Rockwell Green Water Tower, Rockwell Green, Somerset (Grade II, 1885, Edward Pritchard, 1885)
• Trowse Sewage Pumping Stations, Norwich, Norfolk (Grade II, 1869 and 1909, Alfred Morant)
• The Coach and Horses Hotel, Wallsend, Tyne and Wear (Grade II, 1907, Watson for W.B. Reed & Co)
• Carlisle Victorian and Turkish Baths, Carlisle, Cumbria (Grade II, 1884 and 1909,WC Marks)
• The Constitutional Club, Lincoln, Lincolnshire. (Grade II, 1895, William Watkins)
• Soldiers’ Point House, Holyhead, Anglesey, Wales.(Grade II, 1849, Charles Rigby)
• Liverpool Street Station and the former Great Eastern Hotel, City of London (Station: Grade II, 1873-1875, Edward Wilson, 1985 and 1992 Nick Derbyshire, British Rail Architects’ Department. Hotel: Grade II* 1883-1884 Charles Barry Junior and Charles Edward Barry, extended 1901 Colonel RW Edis and Maples, 2000 alterations by Manser Associates and Conran Design)
Joe O’Donnell, Victorian Society director, said: “A common factor with most buildings on our list this year is responsible ownership. Despite all these buildings being Grade II listed they have been neglected for years. Regular, appropriate, maintenance is vital for older buildings.
“The owners of the buildings on our list should be responsible stewards of these nationally significant buildings. If they can’t, or won’t, be that they should sell them so someone else can try and secure their futures before it is too late.”
