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Historic England Reveals Heritage At Risk In Yorkshire

Heritage at Risk launch 2023 SAVED: Valley Gardens and South Cliff Gardens, below Esplanade, Scarborough, North Yorkshire (Grade II registered) ©Historic England Archive.

Historic England has today (Thursday 9 November 2023) revealed its Heritage at Risk Register 2023. The Register gives an annual snapshot of the health of England’s valued historic buildings and places.

Over the past year, seven historic buildings and sites have been added to the Register in Yorkshire because they are at risk of neglect, decay or inappropriate development and 13 sites have been saved and their futures secured. In total in England, there are 4871 entries on the Heritage at Risk Register in 2023 – 48 fewer than in 2022.

HEADLINE STATISTICS IN YORKSHIRE

The Heritage at Risk Register 2023 reveals that in Yorkshire:

· 103 Buildings or Structures

· 57 places of worship

· 299 Archaeology

· 10 parks and gardens

· 2 battlefield

· 52 conservation areas

…are at risk of neglect, decay or inappropriate change.

In total, there are 523 entries across Yorkshire on the 2022 Heritage at Risk Register.

Across the Yorkshire, significant sites added to the Heritage at Risk Register 2023 include the Cannon Hall kitchen garden wall in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

Significant sites saved and removed from the Heritage at Risk Register 2023 in Yorkshire include: Holmfirth Conservation Area, South Cliff Gardens in Scarborough and Sheffield General Cemetery.

Historic England awarded almost £1.2 million in repair grants to 12 historic places and sites, including conservation areas, in Yorkshire, on the Heritage at Risk Register 2022/23.

Many buildings and sites have been rescued with the help and commitment of local people, communities, charities, owners and funders including The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Historic England’s expert advice, grant aid and creative thinking has also been key in delivering people’s visions for how these historic places can be used again. However, more work needs to be done as more buildings and places become at risk.

25 Years since the first national Heritage at Risk Register

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the publication of the first national Heritage at Risk Register (previously known as the Buildings at Risk Register). Over the past 25 years, since it began in 1998, around 6,800 entries have been removed. This equates to around three-quarters of the entries that were on the original Register. Many of the remaining entries from the 1998 Register have seen good progress despite often being the hardest cases to solve.

Tom Frater, Regional Director for Historic England in the North East and Yorkshire, said:
“Protecting our heritage in Yorkshire is so important. It is truly inspirational to see communities in the region coming together to save historic places and find new uses for them. The Heritage at Risk programme shines a light on our most in-need historic sites, and has a record of attracting funding and practical help. After a quarter of a century of the Heritage at Risk Register, we are celebrating the many places that have been saved, as we continue to find new ways to involve local people in caring for and enjoying their heritage."

Arts and Heritage Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said:
“For a quarter of a century, the Heritage at Risk Register has helped to focus efforts to preserve cherished sites across the country. It is heartening to see that so many sites have had their futures secured and have been taken off the Register over the past year thanks to the hard work of Historic England and local people. I look forward to the new additions to the Register receiving similar care and attention so that future generations can continue to enjoy and learn from our rich heritage for years to come.”

A number of the sites such as South Cliff Gardens and Sheffield General Cemetery in Yorkshire that have been removed from the Heritage at Risk Register have received crucial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:
“It is so heartening to see a number of significant heritage sites removed from the Heritage at Risk Register in Yorkshire and given a new lease of life as part of their local communities and places. Saving heritage at risk so that it can be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future, is core to our purpose, and we’re incredibly proud that the Heritage Fund has been able to support this important work to make this fantastic news possible.”

SITES ADDED TO THE REGISTER YORKSHIRE IN 2023 INCLUDES:

Heritage at Risk 2023. Cannon Hall, Bark House Lane, Cawthorne, Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Exterior, south elevation, view from south west. ©Historic England Archive.

AT RISK: Cannon Hall Kitchen Garden Wall, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, Grade II

Cannon Hall kitchen garden was constructed in 1760 and forms part of the Grade II park and garden, and sits to the east of the Grade II* listed Cannon Hall. The kitchen garden is surrounded by a handmade red brick wall lined with fruit trees, some of which date from the 18th century. It has a path around its perimeter and contains numerous garden buildings within it including gardeners’ cottages, glasshouses, and tool stores. The garden is open to the public and welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

There has been substantial investment in the repair and maintenance in the gardens in recent years which has transformed this much-loved place, protecting it for generations to come. However, the site has gone on to the Heritage at Risk Register as a large section of the north kitchen garden wall is at risk of collapsing onto the path and has had to be fenced off. The custodians, Barnsley Museums, have developed a repair scheme for the wall but this has yet to be implemented due to financial pressures.

SITES RESCUED AND REMOVED FROM THE HERITAGE AT RISK REGISTER IN 2023 ACROSS YORKSHIRE INCLUDE:

Heritage at Risk 2023 SAVED: Holmfirth Conservation Area, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire ©Historic England Archive. Sid's Cafe, 4A Towngate, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire. Exterior, building (in rain) featured as Ivy's Cafe in BBC TV comedy series 'Last of The Summer Wine'. View from north west.

SAVED: Holmfirth Conservation Area, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire

The small West Yorkshire mill town of Holmfirth is best known as the home of comedy series Last of the Summer Wine, which ran from 1973 to 2010 and celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

Encompassing the town centre and surrounding townscape, Holmfirth Conservation Area is characterised by its textile industry heritage with its collection of former mills, dye works and weaver’s cottages. The River Holme runs through its centre providing a focal point, while the surrounding undulating countryside of the South Pennines offers an attractive rural setting.

The Conservation Area was put on the Heritage at Risk Register in 2009, owing to economic decline which led to many retail and commercial premises in the town becoming vacant and, in some cases, derelict.

In 2015, local residents formed the Holmfirth Conservation Group (HCG), with the aim of addressing some of the problems facing the town and securing the removal of Holmfirth from the Heritage at Risk Register. To this end, they undertook a comprehensive survey of Holmfirth which created the evidence base required to develop a plan of action.

In the past few years, the local economy has improved, vacancy rates have fallen and buildings have been sympathetically repaired and repurposed. As well as continuing to attract fans of Last of the Summer Wine, Holmfirth has developed a vibrant cultural scene, centred on Holmfirth Picturedrome, with a thriving programme of festivals and events throughout the year.

Heritage at Risk launch 2023 SAVED: Valley Gardens and South Cliff Gardens, below Esplanade, Scarborough, North Yorkshire. (Area surrounding NGR TA 04446 87765). (Grade II registered) ©Historic England Archive.

SAVED: South Cliff Gardens, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Grade II

Overlooking the North Sea, Scarborough’s South Cliff Gardens comprises a series of coastal paths and ornate gardens, as well as handsome architecture including shelters, summerhouses and the Holbeck Clock Tower. Developed from the mid-19th century to the 1930s, several notable landscape architects help to shape the gardens including Sir Joseph Paxton who designed the grand Italian Steps, where Victorian ladies and gentlemen would gather for a genteel stroll in their finest attire.

Sadly, coastal erosion and the general deterioration of its condition led to the Gardens’ addition to the Heritage at Risk Register in 2013.

Thanks to the efforts of the Friends of South Cliff Gardens and Scarborough Borough Council (now North Yorkshire Council), together with funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund, the Gardens underwent an extensive two-year £7m restoration project. Work included the restoration of 14 shelters, Holbeck Clock Tower and the Italian Steps, as well as the creation of a new accessible route through the Gardens.

Heritage at Risk 2023. Camellia House, Wentwoth Woodhouse, Cortworth Lane, Wentworth, Rotherham, South Yorkshire. Exterior, general view from west showing lawn and fountain to south west of Camellia House. ©Historic England Archive.

SAVED: The Camellia House, Wentworth Woodhouse, Rotherham, Grade II*

Situated in the grounds of Wentworth Woodhouse in Rotherham, the Camellia House is an early 19th century conservatory created from a tea house originally built for Lady Rockingham, wife of the 1st Marquess, in 1738 to entertain and impress her guests.

By 2017, when Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust took over, the building was derelict and roofless.

Its camellias, exposed to the elements for decades, were found to include plants dating from the early 1800s - some of the oldest in the Western world.

Last summer, a year-long project funded by Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund was carried out to repair and transform the Camellia House into a public tearoom, protecting the historic blooms throughout.

The Camellia House opens in spring 2024.

Heritage at Risk 2023. Sheffield General Cemetery, Cemetery Avenue, Sharrow Vale, Sheffield, South Yorkshire. 53.369075, -1489937. Exterior, drone shot of recently restored wall above conserved Catacombs, view from west. ©Historic England Archive.

SAVED: Sheffield General Cemetery, Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Grade II*

Sheffield General Cemetery was opened in 1836 in response to overcrowding and poor conditions in Sheffield’s churchyards, exacerbated by a cholera epidemic in 1832. One of Britain’s earliest commercial garden cemeteries, designed by the celebrated Horticulturist Robert Marnock, the site became the main burial ground in Victorian Sheffield, containing the graves of 87,000 people.

The cemetery originally opened for Nonconformist burials with the Classically designed Samuel Worth Chapel. The Anglican burial ground extension was added in 1850 along with the Neo-Gothic Chapel. The site is architecturally rich, boasting 10 listed buildings and monuments including catacombs, chapels and the ornate Grade II* listed Egyptian Gate. It was closed for burials in the late 1970s and became a much-loved greenspace for both people and wildlife.

However, over the years, the state of the cemetery declined; many of the buildings fell into disrepair and the site became a target for anti-social behaviour. Sheffield General Cemetery Trust, the organisation originally set up by local residents almost 35 years ago, set about the enormous task of bringing the Cemetery back from dereliction by restoring the Samuel Worth Chapel and the Sexton’s Cottage, running community activities such guided tours and workshops, as well as historical research.

In 2018, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund’s Parks for People programme awarded Sheffield City Council £3m to fund a major programme of repair, conservation works and community engagement at Sheffield General Cemetery. The Council match funded a further £800k and the project came to an end in 2023, successfully safeguarding the heritage, accessibility and biodiversity of the Cemetery for current and future generations.

FULL LIST OF ADDITIONS AND REMOVALS IN YORKSHIRE

Additions

Cannon Hall kitchen garden wall, Barnsley, South Yorkshire
Cropton Hall Garth: a motte and bailey castle including later medieval manor house, a medieval trackway and a pond, Cropton, North Yorkshire
Round barrows and entrenchments on Egton High Moor, Egton, North Yorkshire
Roppa South Cross on Carr Cote Ridge 1100 metres WSW of Piethorn, Helmsley, North Yorkshire
Station Road Conservation Area, Batley, West Yorkshire
Bridge and medieval gateway at Walton Hall, Walton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Round barrow on Wheeldale Moor, 1150 metres west of Wheeldale Lodge, Egton, North Yorkshire

Removals

Church of St Martin, Main Street, Seamer, North Yorkshire
Church of St Mary, Church Lane, Mirfield, West Yorkshire
Sheffield General Cemetery, South Yorkshire
Horn Ridge cross dyke, cairnfield, round cairn and prehistoric hut circles, Farndale West, North Yorkshire
Earth circles, cursus, pit alignments and burial sites near Nosterfield and Thornborough, including Centre Hill round barrow, West Tanfield, North Yorkshire
Holmfirth Conservation Area, West Yorkshire
Mytholmroyd Conservation Area, West Yorkshire
Valley Gardens and South Cliff Gardens, Scarborough, North Yorkshire
Round barrow north of manor house, Thixendale, North Yorkshire
Sheffield General Cemetery Conservation Area, Sheffield
Hunslet Mill, Goodman Street, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire
Camellia House, Wentworth Woodhouse, Rotherham, South Yorkshire
Church of St Augustine, Hyde Park Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire