Scared, alone, among the last of their kind. It’s not easy being endangered; these buildings know that all too well.
How can a building be endangered? Great question. Basically, buildings are considered endangered when they are a) either Grade II or Grade II* listed and b) at risk of falling down. Each year the Victorian Society publishes a list of what it believes to be the most endangered Victorian and Edwardian buildings in the country in the hopes that someone out there will take pity on one of them and nurse them back to their former glory.
The Victorian Society has just published its list for 2024, and the included structures vary in purpose and age. There are former schools, churches and factories – no building, no matter how grand and important in its time, is safe from the merciless entropy of the planet Earth.
That’s a bit bleak. These places haven’t fallen down yet, and they don’t need to as long as they’re renovated with care. Griff Rhys Jones, the president of the Victorian Society, describes the buildings as ‘add[ing] colour and story to any urban landscape… they should be part of local pride’.
Some in the 2024 list, like the small arts and crafts era chapel in Nottingham are smaller, more approachable restorations. Others, like the former Lambeth school where Vera Brittain worked as a nurse, will require more ambitious bidders. There are also a couple of spaces on the list, namely the Victorian banqueting hall in Newcastle, or what remains of it, are truly on their last legs. Turning them around will require a lot of TLC and a hefty amount of sheer willpower.
The entire list of the 10 most endangered Victorian buildings, as named by the Victorian Society, is as follows:
• Kennington Boys’ School, Lambeth. Grade II, T J Bailey, 1898
• The Kursaal, Southend-on-Sea, Essex. Grade II, 1898-99
• Jesmond Dene Banqueting Hall, Newcastle Upon Tyne. Grade II, 1869/70
• The former Bramcote Tennis Pavilion, Scarborough, N. Yorkshire. Grade II, 1885
• St Luke’s Chapel, Nottingham City Hospital, Nottinghamshire. Grade II, 1902
• St Martins (formerly Roslyn Hoe), Ilfracombe, Devon. Grade II, 1880
• Chances Glassworks, Smethwick, Sandwell. Scheduled Monument, comprising nine Grade II structures, 1847 - 60
• St Agnes’ Vicarage and Hall, Liverpool, Merseyside. Vicarage Grade II* and Hall Grade II, 1887
• Former Education Dept Offices, Derby, Derbyshire. Grade II, 1871
• Cardiff Coal Exchange, Butetown, Glamorgan. Grade II*, 1884-86
For more information on how to encourage the rejuvenation of these buildings, have a look at the Victorian Society’s website here.
Historical Britain
This country has been around for yonks, so we have a lot of history within our borders. Have a look at this huge 400-year-old mansion formerly owned by actress Jane Seymour, which is currently for sale outside Bath, or this old heritage railway that may soon have to close. If those aren’t your thing, why not visit one of these amazing live-in museums where you can feel the history as if its happening around you.
Did you see that one of the UK’s ‘most beautiful’ beaches is disappearing?
Plus: The UK could be in for the wettest summer in 100 years.
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