Griff Rhys Jones calls on public to help save threatened Victorian buildings

Nation Cymru staff

The Victorian Society is calling on the Welsh public to nominate threatened Victorian and Edwardian buildings for the landmark twentieth edition of its Top Ten Endangered Buildings list, to be announced in April 2027

First launched in 2006, the Top Ten Endangered Buildings list has become one of the Society’s most prominent campaigns, bringing threatened historic buildings to national attention and generating publicity and support for their protection.

From railway stations and factories to churches, theatres, pubs and schools, the campaign has highlighted an extraordinary variety of buildings. These are places that have shaped the lives of generations, and which remain important to the communities around them.

The public has always been central to the Top Ten. People who know and care about their local buildings are often the first to recognise when they are being neglected or threatened.

By nominating a building, anyone can help bring its plight to national attention and strengthen the case for its preservation. No specialist knowledge is required: anyone concerned about the future of a Victorian or Edwardian building or structure can put it forward for consideration.

As the Society sets about preparing its twentieth list, it can point to numerous buildings featured in previous editions that have since been restored or brought back into use, often through the determination of local campaigners, owners and conservation organisations.

Among them are:

· Crocker’s Folly, London (Top Ten 2007): An extravagantly decorated Victorian public house, restored after years of neglect and reopened as a restaurant.

· Red Barns, Redcar (Top Ten 2016): Designed by Philip Webb and once home to the pioneering traveller and archaeologist Gertrude Bell, this Grade II*-listed house was rescued from serious neglect and restored as a guesthouse.

· Wingfield Station, Derbyshire (Top Ten 2012): One of Britain’s finest surviving early railway stations, rescued from decades of dereliction and reopened as a heritage centre and tearoom.

· Ancoats Dispensary, Manchester (Top Ten 2011): A severely deteriorated former hospital building, redeveloped to provide 39 affordable homes while retaining and restoring its historic façades.

· Cathays Cemetery Chapels, Cardiff (Top Ten 2008): Long-neglected Victorian Gothic chapels, restored and returned to use for funerals, ceremonies and other events.

More examples of buildings and structures that have found restoration and reuse.

The Society’s full Top Ten Endangered Buildings archive is here.

Griff Rhys Jones, President of the Victorian Society, said: “It is already that time again. The nominations every year make incredible reading and have been fascinating as well as distressing. We need more. You may well know more. Please help.

“The media interest in our Top Ten is always strong. It helps the Society and it helps the buildings and it helps the general heritage cause, across the year. As always, we rely upon your support.”

How to nominate

Nominated buildings and structures must be in England or Wales and have been built wholly or largely between 1837 and 1914. Preference is given to listed buildings, but unlisted buildings will also be considered.

To nominate a building, email [email protected] with:

• The building’s name, location and approximate date of construction.
• Its listing status, if known.
• A brief description of its history or architectural interest.
• Details of the threat it faces.
• At least one good-quality photograph.

Multiple nominations of the same building do not increase its chances of selection.

The deadline for nominations is Monday 4 January 2027.

Read more here

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.