Heritage at Risk in the North West Revealed

Over the last year, significant progress has been made with historic buildings and sites in the North West.

Places which were added to the Register in previous years because of their deteriorating condition now have a bright future thanks to the hard work and dedication of local communities, who have come together to rescue places despite the challenges wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past 18 months.

Charities, owners, local councils and Historic England have also worked together to see historic places restored, re-used and brought back to life.

In 2021, six sites in the North West have been added to the register because of concerns about their condition and seven have been saved.

£650,000 in grants have been given to historic places in the North West throughout the past year, in addition, £1,467,597 of lifeline grants from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund have been provided.

These emergency grants have kick-started essential repairs and maintenance at many precious historic sites during the pandemic and helped protect the livelihoods of the skilled craft workers who keep our cherished historic places alive.

Rochdale Town Centre Conservation Area

Rochdale’s town centre conservation area includes a number of historic buildings, many of which are listed. The town’s conservation area was added to the Register in 2013 after suffering many years of a lack of maintenance, loss of historical details, and a high number of vacant buildings.

Historic England, Rochdale Council and other local partners set up a Heritage Action Zone in 2018 to provide grants for repairs to buildings, encourage economic regeneration and re-engage residents, businesses and visitors with the town’s rich industrial and social heritage.

Rochdale was a textile boom town during the Industrial Revolution, and from its many mills sprang the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society, regarded as the founders of the world-renowned co-operative movement.

This heritage is now being harnessed to help regenerate the town centre and a new Co-operative Enterprise Hub has opened in a prominent previously vacant building.

A new generation of Rochdale Pioneers are being nurtured, with young people given access to advice and training, as well as providing both publicly accessible retail space and private office space to allow the fledgling co-operatives to operate.

The curved terrace of shops on the corner of South Parade and Drake Street is a distinctive feature of the route between Rochdale’s train station and the town centre. These buildings had fallen into decline until repair grants were provided through the Heritage Action Zone.

As well as helping local businesses and improving the living conditions for the residents above the commercial units, Rochdale’s Town Centre Conservation Area is being enhanced, making the town a more attractive place to visit and invest in.

More is still to be achieved. Rochdale Council is undertaking further work with building owners to find new uses for vacant buildings and grants are being awarded for repairs to more historic buildings. The Council is also developing information and advice for visitors and building owners alike who wish to find out more about the town’s historic buildings and how best to conserve them for future generations.

Tyldesley Town Centre Conservation Area

Located in the borough of Wigan, 12 miles from Manchester, Tyldesley grew into a colliery town during the Industrial Revolution. Over several decades, Tyldesley’s conservation area, featuring seven listed buildings, has undergone steady decline with the loss of industry and changes in shopping habits leading to high vacancy rates and underinvestment.

For Tyldesley Community Interest Company (CIC) was established in 2019 to deliver an ambitious scheme of improvements to the Town Centre Conservation Area through a partnership with Historic England and Wigan Council. The High Street Heritage Action Zone focuses on Elliott Street, the single main route running through Tyldesley, which is believed to follow the route of a previous Roman road.

The High Street Heritage Action Zone project is repairing buildings, restoring historic features and encouraging economic regeneration to foster a renewed sense of pride for Tyldesley’s historic town centre.

Led by local resident Ian Tomlinson, For Tyldesley CIC has begun repairing and restoring local landmarks such as Frank’s café, Cellar 5 and Pen to Paper. They have also produced a shop-front design guide to inspire the continued sensitive development of the Conservation Area.

Ian’s team is also delivering heritage skills activities, building maintenance workshops and a digital heritage trail, as well as a Heritage Schools project to capture local children’s vision for their town centre. These activities seek to secure the legacy of the improved Tyldesley Town Centre Conservation Area beyond the lifetime of the High Street Heritage Action Zone.

Warwick Bridge Corn Mill

There has been a mill at Warwick Bridge since the 12th century. The existing building was built in 1839 as part of Corby Castle estate. Clues to its origins are apparent through decorative touches, such as the weathervane incorporating the lion from the coat of arms of the famed House of Howard, the former owners of the estate.

Warwick Bridge Corn Mill has been on the Heritage at Risk Register for more than 20 years as it had fallen into poor condition after becoming empty in 1989 when the miller retired. It was sold to a housing developer, but plans were never taken forward. North of England Civic Trust, now Cultura, approached the owner and acquired the mill in 2015.

Historic England and the Architectural Heritage Fund funded an options appraisal for re-use of the mill, and more recently we provided a grant of £185,000 for repairs to the roofs of the drying kiln and granary in 2017. A wider repair project of £2 million was completed in 2019, with grants from National Lottery Heritage Fund and others.

Thanks to the dedication of Cultura Trust, it is now largely repaired and is milling flour once again. Much of the original machinery survives, including the waterwheel. Regular tours are now available for the public to watch and learn about the mill in action.

When it was listed in 1983, the mill was used for grinding oats for pig food. It is now leased to a Community Benefit Society, and grinds flour for sale and for use in artisan bread from an on-site bakery established during the recent COVID-19 lockdowns with a community share offer. This was a boon during the pandemic, when demand for local produce surged.

A huge amount has been achieved, but some new issues arose once the mill began milling again. Leaks are being investigated through a Culture Recovery Fund grant. This may identify the need for further repair, so the mill remains on the Heritage at Risk Register for now. We are delighted to have been able to support the repair and reuse of the mill over the years, and excited to see it back in action and welcoming the community and visitors.

Heritage at Risk 2021 in brief

The Heritage at Risk Register 2021 reveals that in the North West:

• 77 buildings or structures (Grade I and II* listed buildings and structural scheduled monuments)
• 136 places of worship
• 82 archaeology entries (non-structural scheduled monuments)
• 8 parks and gardens
• and 69 conservation areas

…are at risk of neglect, decay or inappropriate change.

In total, there are 372 entries across the North West on the 2021 Heritage at Risk Register.

Due to the restrictions of COVID-19 we have only been able to assess sites and collect data where it has been safe to do so. This has given us a helpful temperature check of the condition of our historic environment in the last 12 months, but it has not been possible to carry out analysis of trends as we have in previous years.