Sites removed from Historic England 'at risk' register

A building thought to be the oldest in Stoke-on-Trent is among 22 sites in the West Midlands removed from Historic England's at risk register in 2021.

Ford Green Hall, a Grade II-listed farmhouse built in 1624, had suffered water-damage to its timber frame.

A grant of £60,000 was awarded for repair work which was completed earlier this year.

Seven new sites have been added to the list including the Severn Wharf Building in the Ironbridge Gorge.

The annual register lists historic places at risk of being lost due to neglect, decay or development and includes 392 sites in the West Midlands.

Another building removed from the register in 2021 is the Roundhouse in Birmingham.

Originally built in 1874 as a horse shoe-shaped canal side depot and stables for the Birmingham Corporation it has been restored with the help of a £2.5m National Lottery Grant by the National Trust and the Canal and River Trust and now provides office space.

Tom Grosvenor, the National Trust's project director, said it was important because there are "not many Corporation buildings of that age and of that architectural significance".

The building has also become a base for tours of the city, including tours of the canals, and Mr Grosvenor said it was fitting that it had again become a hub for activity in the city.

The Severn Wharf Building in Ironbridge, which has been added to the list, is home to the Museum of the Gorge.

A recent inspection revealed leaking gutters which threaten the building's structural stability and Historic England has awarded a repair grant of £58,050 to carry out further urgent investigations, surveys and repairs to the building.

In the past year, West Midlands sites on the list were given £921,883 in Heritage at Risk grants.

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