Some 81 heritage sites across the West Midlands are at risk of being lost forever, according to Historic England - and 29 of them are in Birmingham .
The important buildings, many of which are tourist attractions or local beauty spots, are threatened due to decay, neglect or development and feature on the newly published Heritage at Risk Register 2019.
Highbury Hall near Moseley , home of Joseph Chamberlain, features on the list along with St Nicolas’ Church in Kings Norton , whose curate Wilbert Awdry created Thomas the Tank Engine in 1942 as a way to entertain his son Christopher during a bout of measles.
Other Birmingham buildings on the register include Methodist Central Hall, Curzon Street Station, The Grand Hotel, St Paul's Church and Perrott's Folly .
Louise Brennan, regional director Midlands for Historic England, said: “The message is clear – heritage needs to be saved and investing in heritage pays. It helps to transform the places where we live, work and visit, creating successful and distinctive places in the county for us and for future generations to enjoy."
She added: “But there’s more work to do. There are buildings still on the Heritage at Risk Register that are ideal for rescue and capable of being brought back in to meaningful use and generating an income, contributing to the local community and economy. These are the homes, shops, offices and cultural venues of the future.
“Historic England’s experience shows that with the right partners, imaginative thinking and robust business planning, we can be confident in finding creative solutions for often complex sites.”
Stoney Road Gardens in Coventry are at also risk for the first time.
Our historic buildings we risk losing forever
The list of 81 sites across the West Midlands includes hotels and public houses as well as stately homes and churches, many of which have been on the register for years.
Many of these important buildings do have teams of dedicated volunteers and local support doing their best to try to bring them back to life.
Highbury Hall, Moseley
This is the Gothic style former residence of Joseph Chamberlain, a Birmingham MP and passionate reformer of working conditions, who lived there from 1880 until his death in 1914. It features 58 rooms and is a popular wedding venue. and also used for wellbeing and horticultural activities.
In 2016, the Chamberlain Highbury Trust took over the site from Birmingham City Council on a long lease and an £8 million fundraising campaign was launched in 2018 to restore the building and parkland.
Sadly, an issue with the roof resulted in damage to a number of rooms and emergency repairs are underway.
In addition to this large parts of the gardens and landscaped grounds, created in 1879 by Edward Milne, have declined significantly. Most of the original built landscape features and water features are in poor, dilapidated condition, according to Historic England. Poor drainage is causing erosion and water-logging problems in the park.
St Nicolas Church, Kings Norton
This church was home to curate and pacifist Wilbert Awdry, who arrived there in 1940 after being asked to leave his previous church due to his stance on World War II. It was while Awdry was with the church that he came up with the idea for what would become one of the world’s most popular children’s book series – Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.
The bells of St Nicolas, which has Norman origins, are a familiar sound in the parish of Kings Norton, but structural issues with the spire that houses them could silence their peels if the church cannot raise the necessary funds to repair this 15th Century landmark.
The church has a committed fund-raising committee to tackle the several issues that have caused it to be added to the list, especially on the south porch where a timber beam has structural issues and the valley above is leaking badly.
Curzon Street Station (British Rail Goods Office)
Curzon Street Station is the original terminus of the London to Birmingham railway built by Philip Hardwick in 1838 but it has been vacant for more than a decade.
Owned by Birmingham City Council, repairs to the roof have been undertaken, but water ingress is still a problem. Renovation by a partnership including HS2 has been given planning permission and listed building consent and work will commence shortly.
Grand Hotel, Colmore Row
There's been a big buzz around the Grand Hotel for a few years now as the exterior has been repaired and lots of new shops, bars and offices have moved in. However it remains on the register as the condition is still classed as poor whilst work is underway. The Grand Hotel dates back to 1875.
Methodist Central Hall, Corporation Street
This iconic building down by the law courts was built in in 1903-4 by E and JA Harper in red brick and terracotta. The ground floor is in various retail uses, some vacant, the upper floors are vacant. Planning approval and Listed Building Consent was previously granted for conversion to mixed office/residential use, but this was not implemented and has now expired.
Birmingham City Council negotiated with the owner to undo unauthorised works, but the building continues to deteriorate with extensive vegetation at upper levels. Planning permission was granted in 2018 for a hotel and apart-hotel use.
Red Lion public house, Soho Road
This red brick pub with a terracotta facade dates back to 1901-2 when it was built by James & Lister Lea for the Holt Brewery Company. It was sold in 2016 and the new owner has plans to redevelop the site, first undertaking urgent repairs to the roof and gaining Listed Building Consent for re-use as a public house/ restaurant. Watch this space ...
Perrott's Folly, Waterworks Road, Edgbaston
Built in 1758 by John Perrott as a folly adjacent to his house (long demolished), this six storey structure has a circular stair tower and is said to be inspiration for Tolkien's 'The Two Towers' as it adjoins Waterworks Tower.
Urgent repairs to address immediate structural problems have been completed but a business plan for long-term future use and completion of repairs is needed. Historic England funding has been agreed for structural investigations and the local community is working hard to try to save and restore this significant building.
Church of St Paul's Square, Birmingham
This Birmingham landmark is suffering from severe issues from leaking parapet gutters and rain water entry which has damaged the interior plasterwork. The church was built in 1777-9 and is of classical design by Roger Eykyn of Wolverhampton although the upper part of the spire and tower was added in 1822-3 by Frances Goodwin.
Moseley Baths, Balsall Heath
These municipal baths, featuring lavish terracotta decoration, were opened in 1907 as an addition to the Free Library (1895) forming a group of public buildings. Threat of closure has been averted with the swimming group taking over the swimming operation until 2021.
Historic England is providing a substantial repair grant for the Gala pool roof in conjunction with Birmingham City Council. Works are on site and due to the completed at the end of 2019. Options for future uses to complement the swimming and the next phase of repairs are being explored.
Other At Risk buildings include:
100 Sampson Road, Sparkhill
303 Icknield Street, Hockley
City of Birmingham Engineers Depot, Sheepcote Street, Ladywood
Edward Road Baptist Church, Edward Road, Birmingham
Parish Church of St Aidan, Herbert Road, Birmingham
Church of St Alban the Martyr, Conybere Street, Highgate
Icknield Street School, Icknield Street, Hockley
Find out more here
Secret Birmingham
Stoney Road Gardens, Coventry
The gardens, located on land that passed through several royal and aristocratic hands before being sold to Coventry City Council, are one of the few remaining examples of late 18th and 19th Century rented gardens within large towns and cities that were ring-fenced from development. They are on the list for the first time. The Stoney Road Gardens Association (SRGA) is currently negotiating terms to take on a long lease for the gardens from the city council and there is a conservation management plan.
Saved: Moseley School of Art
The good news is that the former Moseley Art School has been removed from the register following a successful programme of restoration and repair. Now known as the Moseley Community Hub at the School of Art, following a programme of repairs and restoration, funded in part by a £260,000 Historic England grant, it now once more a thriving centre for arts and culture.
