At risk – England’s history

HISTORIC ENGLAND has published its annual Heritage at Risk Register, its detailed account of the health – or otherwise – of the country’s historic environment. It lists not only sites that are at risk, but also those that thanks to conservation work are no longer in danger.

England's barrows – ancient burial mounds, many of which are in the Cotswolds – are the most at risk of all types of heritage, according to the 2015 register. The most common threat to barrows is farming through growing crops and ploughing the land they sit in. Overgrown plants and shrubs and animal burrowing can also cause problems. Since 2014, 150 barrows have been rescued and taken off the register.

Residential buildings – from Roman villas and Georgian town houses to individual pre-historic huts and roundhouses – is the second-most at risk category.

Sites added to the register this year include:

•        Naze Tower, Essex, Grade II* - a look-out post during both the Napoleonic and First World Wars, and used as a radar station during WW2.
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•        Hidden in bushes on the side of the M40, the National Filling Factory in Northamptonshire, originally built to fill shells with high explosive, and by 1918 converted to produce poison gas.
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•        The Church of St Thomas More, Birmingham, Grade II - a 1968 Roman Catholic church built entirely from concrete, by architect Richard Gilbert Scott.
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•        The White Lion in Wandsworth, London, Grade II - a sprawling Victorian pub that was a live music venue in late 1970s and 80s. Punk bands played there regularly.
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•        The Mausoleum of Joseph Hudson, Grade II - one of Kensal Green cemeteries' most ornate tombs. Joseph Hudson fought in one of the decisive naval battles of the Napoleonic war with France.
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•        Old Pier lighthouse, Roker, Sunderland, Grade II -  built around 1856 and used until 1903. It was moved in 1983 to a nearby park.

Duncan Wilson, Historic England’s chief executive, said: ‘This year's register gives us the most complete assessment of the state of our nation's heritage yet. It shows that we are making progress, but also that the challenge is still significant. We are committed to working with local authorities, civic societies, and everyone who is passionate about and values our heritage across England. The very things that make our regions special, are the things most at risk. If they're lost, then a sense of that region is lost too.’

https://historicengland.org.uk

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WW2 tunnels in Dover’s white cliffs open to the public

A NETWORK of forgotten WW2 tunnels inside the #WhiteCliffsofDover has been opened to the public by the #National Trust. 

The Fan Bay Deep Shelter was carved out of chalk in just 100 days in 1940 on Winston Churchill's orders as part of Dover's connected offensive and defensive gun batteries, aimed attacking German shipping in the English Channel.

At 75ft below the Kent coastline, the 3,500 sq feet of interconnecting tunnels, which are reinforced with iron girders and metal sheeting, accommodated 200 men.

The shelter – which was inspected by Churchill in 1941 – was decommissioned in the 1950s and filled in with rubble and soil during the 1970s.

The National Trust say the well-preserved tunnels are a time capsule, giving insights into war-time life, with graffiti-covered walls, discarded ammunition, and even a football pools coupon found in them. 

Tons of rubble and soil were removed by hand from the tunnels in an 18-month project involving more than 50 National Trust volunteers, archaeologists, mine consultants, engineers, and a geologist.

Jon Barker, visitor experience manager at the White Cliffs, said: ‘This re-discovered piece of the country's Second World War heritage is a truly remarkable find. There has been no public access to the tunnels for more than 40 years, and so they remain much as they were when they were abandoned.

‘We've carried out extensive conservation work to preserve both the natural decay and authentic atmosphere of the space."

The shelter was carved out of the chalk by Royal Engineers from the 172nd Tunnelling Company, and had a hospital, secure store and five large chambers providing bomb-proof accommodation.

Tickets are not available at the tunnel entrance. Book a space at the visitor reception centre before walking the 1.5 miles to the tunnel entrance and the 125 steps down into the network.

www.nationaltrust.org.uk

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/87920827@N06/8044663115">Dover Cliffs</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license), National Trust

Saints and Sinners in Wiltshire

THE Churches Conservation Trust – the national charity protecting historic churches at risk – has partnered with #VisitWiltshire to launch a heritage trail featuring four of its Wiltshire churches with four of the county’s best pubs and hotels.

The trust’s 21 churches in Wiltshire are open as free heritage attractions, many of which represent almost 1,000 years of English history and together attract more than 38,000 visitors a year.

As part of a drive to boost the number of visitors to these historic buildings, the charity and VisitWiltshire have matched four of its most idyllic countryside churches with four outstanding lunch venues to make a day out or short break for locals and tourists.

Katrina Hurford, national marketing manager at The Churches Conservation Trust, explains: ‘Our churches have a lot to offer in the way of nourishment for the eyes, ears, and soul, but nothing in the way of more practical nourishment! With these new partnerships, each pairing provides opportunities to explore the Wiltshire countryside by foot, bike, or car, to discover hidden gems offering irreplaceable examples of architecture, archaeology, and art, and to enjoy some of the finest produce Wiltshire has to offer, expertly presented.’

The four churches featured are: All Saints’ in Alton Priors; St. Leonard’s in Sutton Veny; St. Mary’s in Old Dilton; and St. John the Baptist in Inglesham. They are partnered with The Red Lion Freehouse in Pewsey, The Beckford Arms in Fonthill Gifford, The Three Daggers in Edington, and Stanton House Hotel in Stanton Fitzwarren.

To download the trail, go to www.visitchurches.org.uk/saintsandsinnerswiltshire

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Picture Credit: "All Saints Alton Priors" by Kevin Farmer. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons, 

Queen Elizabeth lived here … but the house is crumbling

A CONTROVERSY has erupted in Malta over the villa that was once home to Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh.  A conservationist has called on either the owners of the villa or the Maltese government to restore the once elegant but now crumbling building.

Astrid Vella said that the Queen had asked to see the property when she last visited Malta in 2007, but that the owners had reportedly refused. The row comes ahead of a royal visit to Malta later this year in November.

‘This villa not only has immense architectural value, but is the only property outside of the UK which the Queen has called home," says Ms Vella. ‘If the Queen asks to visit this property again, it shouldn't be in this state.  We must save it.’ She argued that the government did not hesitate to acquire private property for road projects, and questioned whether roads were more precious than the country's heritage.

‘It is crucial to our heritage and our collective memory, and could really boost quality tourist numbers. Tourists are disgusted at how we treat our heritage.’

The house, known as Villa Guardamangia and on the outskirts of Valletta, was leased by Lord Louis Mountbatten in the late 1920s. At various times between 1946 and 1953, the then Princess Elizabeth stayed at the villa while her fiancé, and later husband, The Duke of Edinburgh, was stationed in Malta with the Royal Navy. Philip and Elizabeth then lived in Malta for a period between 1949 and 1951.

However, no one seems able to agree yet on who would foot the bill for any restoration, and the Queen's former home now appears to be in serious danger of being knocked down to make way for developers.

‘Surveys on the property have been carried out and restoration cost estimates have been gathered,’ said the Maltese government in a statement. ‘The government has no title on the property and this has created legal complications with its owners.’

But the government said that it plans to expropriate the house, with full compensation to its owners, because it ‘believes that the property is one of historical heritage’.


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Picture Credit: Elizabeth and Philip 1953 by Cecil Beaton - Library and Archives Canada Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons, Valetta by User:Alexandra at lb.wikipedia. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons