People are being urged to nominated threatened Victorian buildings for the 2018 Top 10 Endangered Buildings List.
The Victorian Society’s annual campaign encourages people across the UK to put foward Victorian buildings in their area which they feel are under threat, whether from neglect, insensitive redevelopment or demolition.
A shortlist of the 10 most endangered Victorian buildings in the country is then chosen by the society’s architecture and conservation experts, and the buildings in that list are given valuable publicity would could help save them.
Griff Rhys Jones, president of the Victorian Society, says: “Every day we walk past at-risk Victorian and Edwardian buildings and regret their unfortunate state, wishing there was something we could do to help: the Top 10 campaign is the perfect opportunity to do so.
“Nominated buildings which make the final list get valuable publicity which, as previous examples show every day, can be just the push they need towards salvation.”
Why should I nominate a building?
Appearing on the Top 10 list will give an endangered building valuable publicity which could help save it, either by inciting the formation of a friend’s group, pressuring owners to take steps or alerting interested buyers to secure a new asset. In 2017 the Victorian Society spoke on dozens of local radio stations and featured in local and national press including ITV & BBC National news pages, Huffington Post UK and Country Life magazine.
What building should I nominate?
Your nominated building must be:
- In England/Wales.
- Built between 1837 and 1914.
Nominated buildings/structures could be threatened by demolition, neglect or inappropriate development. If your building is listed it is more likely to make the shortlist, but it’s not mandatory.
How do I nominate a building?
Send details (name of the building, location, year, brief description, why you think it should be in the Top 10 and at least one good photo) to media@victoriansociety.org.uk or by post to 1 Priory Gardens, London W4 1TT before 5pm on Friday 13th July. It’s not a voting system – each nomination is afforded equal weight. They will announce the final top 10 list on Wednesday 12th September.
If you use social media, please share their call for nominations and follow the hashtag #vicsoctop10 for the latest updates. If you still need convincing, maybe their President Griff Rhys Jones can help!
Where are they now? Updates on the 2017 Top 10 list
Cannington Shaw
If you’ve ever walked across the Steve Prescott Bridge towards the Saints RLFC stadium, you’ll likely have seen a dilapidated, red brick building among the trees and greenery. Perhaps you wondered about its history?
The 2017 list comments on Cannington Shaw as follows…
Cannington Shaw no.7 Bottle Shop, St Helens, Merseyside (Grade II, 1886, architect unknown) The Bottle Shop is all that now remains of what was once claimed to be the largest bottle making factory in the country. The abandoned building has gradually been surrounded by a new development and now lies forgotten in the middle of a Tesco carpark. Its plight has been featured on regional television and in the local press, and English Heritage have highlighted its international importance in the field of glass-making, and yet it continues to deteriorate with its survival as an important heritage asset in doubt.
Work is progressing slowly but surely with Cannington Shaw’s No. 7 Bottle Shop in St Helens, with plans to clear the site of buildings of no significance which will increase the focus on the heritage asset.
