It is nearly 30 years since Historic England published its first national Buildings at Risk Register. Since then, we have joined other heritage organisations in collating our own At Risk list in response to mounting threats to Georgian historic fabric. The recent case of Newell House in Sherborne, Dorset – a Grade II listed building which succumbed to an arson attack in April this year – is a stark reminder of the distressing effect Heritage At Risk cases can have on entire communities (not to mention the missed opportunities in economic terms).
Last year, Norris Castle on the Isle of Wight (pictured above) – an exceptionally important Regency coastal estate with a Grade I listed Gothic Revival building designed by James Wyatt – led the Georgian Group’s Top 10 Buildings at Risk. The estate was the subject of a marketing exercise last year, but it remains gravely endangered and severely deteriorating. Some positive news arrived just last week when the Charity Commission approved the creation of the Norris Castle Preservation Trust. This Trust has been created by local people who have grown up around the estate, know it intimately and care deeply about its future. Although the challenges ahead for Norris are very considerable, the formation of this Trust is some small cause for hope.
Our 2026 Top 10 At Risk list which will be published in December, and you can nominate a heritage building or landscape that is at risk by writing to atrisk@georgiangroup.org.uk by 15 September. Please include details of when it was created, its location, and the reasons why you believe it should be included on the Group’s list, together with one or more photographs. The nominated building or landscape must be in England or Wales and date from 1700-1837. It can be listed or unlisted but must be in a poor state of repair or condition, be disused or unoccupied or perhaps threatened by demolition or inappropriate alterations or change of use.
Our Director Anya Lucas said: “Each year our Top 10 At Risk list highlights the plight of eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century buildings and landscapes that could and should have a brighter future. Although our dedicated team of Conservation Advisers are aware of and involved in many cases across England and Wales (Norris Castle included), we are asking our members to alert us to any cases they are especially concerned about. From country houses to garden follies, former industrial buildings to townhouses, please help us capture as full a picture as possible. Any cases that are not featured in our Top 10 will be added to our ongoing At Risk register. When historic buildings are disused and urgent works of repair and protection are neglected, they are immediately put at greater risk of theft, vandalism and arson. In the context of a housing shortage and an environmental crisis we cannot let this neglect continue”.