Historic England celebrates 41 at-risk London buildings saved - though warns 10 added to annual register

An east London church and a 15th-century barn are among the sites added to this year’s Heritage at Risk Register by Historic England.

Celebrations, however, are in order as 41 buildings and sites across the capital have been saved in the last 12 months, Historic England adds, many of which “now have a new and vital part to play for people today”.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Register, which since 1998 has had around 6,800, or three quarters of its original entries, removed. Across England as a whole, there are 4,871 sites remaining, 599 of which are in London.

A total of £760,597 was awarded by Historic England to pay for repairs at 17 London sites in 2022/23.

Some of those removed from the register include the former Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, which is now used as Tower Hamlets Council’s town hall, the EMD/Granada Art Deco cinema in Walthamstow, and the Upminster Windmill, built in 1803 and “one of the finest remaining smock mills in the country”.

Which London sites have been added to the register?

The 10 entries added to the risk of at-list sites in the capital are:

• Church of St George in the East, Cannon Street Road, Stepney
• St Peter's Church, St Peter's Close, Bethnal Green
• Manor Farmhouse, High Street, Harmondsworth
• Part of Former House of Detention, below Kingsway College Clerkenwell Centre, Sans Walk
• Livesey Hall War Memorial, Perry Hill
• The former London Chest Hospital, Bonner Road, Bethnal Green
• Former library, public baths and wash-house, Southwark
• Church of St Clement Danes, Strand, Westminster
• Repository Woods, Greenwich
• Upminster Tithe Barn, Hall Lane, Upminster

Tom Foxall, regional director at Historic England for London and the South East, said: “In the 25 years of the Heritage at Risk Register, huge progress has been made in saving irreplaceable historic sites, and this year is no different. 

“Across the capital we’re celebrating the successful restoration of a collection of large, complex buildings, such as the Former Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel and the EMD/Granda Cinema in Walthamstow, along with numerous other special places that had been vulnerable for a long time. 

“Thanks to strong partnership working and a strategic approach and vision, these places steeped in history now have a new and vital part to play for people today. Local communities are at the heart of finding solutions for heritage at risk and we are dedicated to supporting them so they can benefit from even more historic places being removed from the at risk Register.”

Arts and heritage minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay added: “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.”