Five people standing looking at the camera inside a church. There are three men and two women.
Holy Trinity Church (Seventeen Nineteen), Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. (Left to right) Frank Nicholson, Anthony Hern, William Dove, Lily Daniels and Sarah Carr. DP371567. © Historic England Archive
Holy Trinity Church (Seventeen Nineteen), Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. (Left to right) Frank Nicholson, Anthony Hern, William Dove, Lily Daniels and Sarah Carr. DP371567. © Historic England Archive

Heritage at Risk in the North East Revealed

Today, Historic England publishes its annual Heritage at Risk Register for 2022. The Register is the yearly health-check of England’s most valued historic places and those most at risk of being lost forever as a result of neglect, decay or inappropriate development.

Contents
  1. Highlights from sites saved in 2022
  2. Heritage at Risk 2022 in brief

Highlights from sites saved in 2022

Over the past year, eight historic buildings and sites have been added to the Register in the North East because of their deteriorating condition and 13 sites have been saved and their futures secured. Many have been rescued thanks to heritage partners and dedicated teams of volunteers, community groups, charities, owners and councils, working together with Historic England.

Saved: Holy Trinity Church, Church Street East, Sunderland

The Grade I-listed Church of Holy Trinity is an early 18th-century parish church.

After becoming redundant in 1988, custodianship was passed onto The Churches Conservation Trust. Despite the Trust’s maintenance and repair programme the building was added to the Heritage at Risk register in 2014.

Since then, major investment from funders has enabled significant repairs to the building and secured its future.

Saved: Guisborough Conservation Area, Redcar and Cleveland

Most of Guisborough town centre is designated as a conservation area. However, it was added to the Heritage at Risk Register due to the dilapidated state of the Town Hall, and the number of vacant and rundown shops.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council responded by acquiring the Town Hall and transforming it into a heritage and information centre, as well as quality visitor accommodation.

On the high street, shop fronts have been restored, while vacant shops have been occupied with new businesses.

Saved: Hadrian's Wall – Steel Rigg, Northumberland

The 170 individual scheduled monuments that make up Hadrian's Wall face challenges from the elements, ploughing and visitors climbing it.

At Steel Rigg, collapsed sections of the Wall were repaired and the top of the Wall was covered with stones and turf. 

This was achieved through collaboration between Historic England and the Hadrian’s Wall Community Archaeology Project (WallCAP) at Newcastle University. 

Heritage at Risk 2022 in brief

The Heritage at Risk Register 2022 reveals that in the North East: 

  • 72 Buildings or Structures
  • 23 places of worship
  • 122 Archaeology
  • 6 parks and gardens
  • 1 battlefield
  • 30 conservation areas

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

In total, there are 254 entries across the North East on the 2022 Heritage at Risk Register.

Also of interest

Search the Heritage at Risk Register