New Warrington entry on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register

Every year, Historic England reviews its Heritage at Risk Register, with eight entries in the area included in the catalogue of cherished and important old locations.

The Heritage at Risk programme helps the agency to understand the overall state of England's historic sites, identifying those most at risk of being lost.

The register includes buildings, structures, places of worship, archaeology entries, parks and gardens, battlefields, wrecks and conservation areas.

New to the list is Old Moat House, a medieval moated house between Burtonwood and Bold, which is listed as a scheduled monument that is displaying a ‘declining’ trend.

The register entry says the privately owned building’s condition is ‘generally unsatisfactory with major localised problems’, with its principal ‘extensive’ vulnerability being vehicle damage and erosion.

Two Warrington entries are religious sites, namely the Church of St Thomas on London Road in Stockton Heath, and Church of the Holy Trinity on Sankey Street in the town centre.

The former, a Grade II-Listed building built in 1868, has a deteriorating roof and tower masonry in poor condition, exacerbated by cement pointing and plastic repairs becoming detached.

The register states that an offer of grant aid has been made by the National Lottery Heritage Fund under the Grants for Places of Worship scheme. A repair scheme is said to be in progress.

Ground was broken on Holy Trinity meanwhile in 1758, and the building is said to be showing its age with the integrity of the plaster ceiling suffering from water ingress.

Like St Thomas’ the Grade II-Listed building is rated to be in a ‘poor’ condition, with Holy Trinity’s entry stating that there is an ‘immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss’.

A further three entries are listed as conservation areas, those being Bridge Street, Church Street and Bewsey Street.

All are in varying states, with Bridge Street said to be in a ‘very bad’ condition, highly vulnerable, but improving.

Bridge Street in the town centre is on the register

Church Street meanwhile is also in a very bad way, with its vulnerability being graded as ‘medium’ and trend as improving.

This trend is reversed for Bewsey Street however, which is deteriorating, while the vulnerability remains high, although the condition is said to be fair.

The iconic Warrington Transporter Bridge remains ‘at risk’, having opened in 1916 to convey railway wagons and motor vehicles across the River Mersey to Crosfields.

The Grade II-Listed bridge no longer functions, although the gondola remains intact, with the steel structure on brick plinths being in a ‘poor’ condition.

Friends of Warrington Transporter Bridge have been working with the council to raise the profile of the bridge, with a long-term solution needed to address its condition and maintenance.

The final Warrington entry is farmland off Highfield Lane in Winwick, with the scheduled monument said to be declining in condition.

An important archaeological site, the ‘bowl barrow’ faces ‘extensive and significant problems’ and is vulnerable due to ‘arable ploughing’.

Nearby Daresbury Hall, a mansion of 1759 on Daresbury Lane, is also at risk.

A fire in June 2016 destroyed much of the hall, leaving large amounts of the masonry in an unstable situation.

The Grade II-listed building has been secured with a facade retention scaffold and mothballed in a roofless condition. Some urgent works are necessary to ensure complete loss is averted.

However, it was reported in October that the hall was ‘under offer’, having been advertised as a ‘residential development opportunity’.

Commenting on the Heritage at Risk Register, Warrington South MP Andy Carter said: “The register gives an annual snapshot of the health of England’s valued historic buildings and places.

Warrington Transporter Bridge

“It is so important that we preserve our history for future generations – particularly sites which relate to our industrial heritage supporting groups such as Save Warrington Transporter Bridge, our traditional high streets and beautiful churches.

“I am privileged to represent an area with a rich heritage.

“Warrington’s growth as a new town must not be at the expense of centuries of tradition, so I am planning to meet Historic England in the New Year to discuss the areas at risk in Warrington South and how I can assist in protecting and preserving these.”

A Warrington Borough Council spokesman previously said: “We are committed to preserving and investing in the town’s heritage assets.

“Recent examples include the glasshouses restoration at Walton Hall, the Cenotaph in the town centre and the frontage to the new Warrington Market on Bridge Street.

“We are aware of the assets listed on the at-risk register and will continue to monitor them.”

A Historic England spokesman added: “Heritage at risk sites can come in many forms, from grand to simple buildings and structures to large visible earthworks and less visible buried remains.

“Many issues threaten these sites, from environmental to human impact.

“People regularly say how much the historic character of where they live, work and play contributes to their lives.

“With competing demands on public and private funds, we need to focus on the heritage assets that are at greatest risk and that offer the best opportunities for positive development.

“The Heritage at Risk Register tells communities about the condition of their local neighbourhood, encouraging people to become actively involved in looking after what is precious to them.

“It also reassures them that any public funding goes to the most needy and urgent cases.”