A luxurious mansion in south Devon has been named as one of the historic sites now at risk of being lost forever. Over the past year, Historic England has added 159 buildings to the Heritage in Danger Register that are under threat of decay, neglect or inappropriate development. A surprising 43 of these sites are located in the southwest.
However, a total of 74 sites across the region have also been conserved and their future secured, with public bodies funding the restoration of 56 historic sites and ruins, including protected areas, by £1.79m in 2022-23. The money was delivered.
Significant sites added to the 2023 Heritage Risk Register include Oldway Mansion in Paignton. The building was built in 1873 for billionaire sewing machine company founder Isaac Singer and was conceived as his Renaissance-style villa in fashionable France. Isaac’s son Paris took inspiration from the Palace of Versailles and renovated the house from 1904 to 1907.
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Oldway Mansion was converted into a military hospital in 1914 and became Torbay Country Club in 1929. It was then requisitioned by the Royal Air Force in 1939, and from 1945 it was used as parliamentary offices until 2013.
Historic England said the building was currently in poor condition and needed “urgent repairs” to the roof and external walls to prevent “dampness, dry rot and damage to the historic plaster” caused by water ingress. There is.
Chris Lewis, Deputy Leader of Torbay City Council, said: “The Old Way is a much-loved local asset in Torbay. Partnering with Historic England will ensure that the history of the Old Way is not only protected and preserved, but also a sustainable and sustainable property that can be enjoyed in many different ways. We can secure our future together.”
Similar problems exist further south. The ruins of Porth Askin’s workhouse on St Agnes, the southernmost populated island of the Isles of Scilly, have also been added to the list of sites at risk. Now its seaward edge, within reach of the highest waves, has been washed away and is at risk of further erosion.
And the area surrounding Pendennis Castle in English Heritage Falmouth (not included) is another notable area that will be added to the at-risk list. Historic England said Pendennis Headland was home to an “interesting variety” of historic buildings, including a Civil War battery, a garrison garden, a First World War zigzag trench and a Second World War gun emplacement. It says there is something. Under Falmouth Town Council’s new ownership, some management work has already begun and preparations are underway for a situation review.
Sites in the South West that have been saved and removed from the Heritage Risk Register include Tolpuddle Old Chapel in Dorset; The chapel reopened last summer after a nine-year regeneration project and is thought to be of vital importance to the story of the Tolpuddle Martyrs. The 15th-century St Clear Holy Well and Cross in Cornwall, acquired by the Cornwall Heritage Trust (CHT) in November 2022, has also been saved and removed from the risk list, as well as near Launceston. The medieval packhorse bridge in Newport was also severely damaged. Vandalism during the lockdown due to the new coronavirus infection.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the publication of the first National List of Endangered Sites. Since its inception in 1998, approximately 6,800 entries have been removed. This represents about three-quarters of the entries that were in the original register. In 2023, there were a total of 1,348 listings on the Heritage List at Risk across the South West, 31 fewer than in 2022.