Blackpool's Chapel of thanks faces battle for future

English Heritage Launches Buildings at Risk Register 2006- - BBC Invites Viewers to Save Nation's Rural Heritage in Restoration Village -

An historic Blackpool chapel, built in the Fifties in thanksgiving for the local diocese having escaped the worst ravages of the Second World War, is among four new North West additions to English Heritage's 2006 edition of its Buildings at Risk Register. A total of 11 properties in the region have been removed from the annual stocktake of the country's most important historic buildings.

The Thanksgiving Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes closed in 2001 and was only saved from demolition following a campaign by local people. It is now run by the Historic Chapels Trust, which is battling to preserve the chapel and its stunning interior. The trust has been offered £100,000 by English Heritage towards the cost of roof repairs and other high-level work.

Tim Wilkins, English Heritage Architect said: "This is a building which not only represents one of the finest examples of 20th century church design but also has great significance for local people. By placing it on the register and by offering £100,000 towards urgently needed repair work we hope to draw attention to its current plight and, hopefully, to secure its future.

"Across the region our aim at English Heritage is to get involved at an early stage in negotiations with partners involved in these important historic buildings and to stimulate new ideas for their preservation and re-use."

English Heritage's new forward-looking approach to conservation, Constructive Conservation, encourages people to think of more imaginative ways of rescuing Buildings At Risk, and persuades them to get help from English Heritage at very early stages. Early advice from English Heritage helped to save 86% of the Buildings At Risk removed from the national Register this year. The English Heritage Buildings at Risk Register is a list of the nation's most vulnerable Grade l and Grade ll* buildings and Scheduled Ancient Monuments. Now in its ninth year, it is a measure of what the nation could lose if no one can come up with ways of saving its precious heritage assets.

The other three buildings new to the register in the region are: - The Stables west of Over Hall, Ireby, Lancashire - Slackwood Farmhouse, New Road, Silverdale, Lancashire - Old Hall Hotel, Congleton, Cheshire

Among the 11 buildings taken off the register is St Augustine's Church, Avenham, Preston, where the landmark Italian renaissance towers now form the entry point to a new sports, health and fitness centre. The loss of some parts of the building was offset by the benefits it brought to an area with acute economic and social challenges.

In Liverpool, English Heritage gave advice to the local authority on finding a future for The Albany, one of the earliest large-scale office buildings in the country. The Grade ll* listed building has been saved from many years of decay and has been transformed by Albany Assets into an eye-catching residential complex that combines the building's historic character with contemporary design.

Chris Nisbet, Chairman of Albany Assets said: "English Heritage and Liverpool Vision were equally superb in my initial dealings with them which gave me the encouragement to embark on such a mammoth task of converting the grade 2* listed Albany Building into 123 residential apartments, 20,000 sq ft of commercial space and the largest car stacker this country has seen. Once on site, English Heritage's support, teamwork and pragmatic views on some very serious and potentially costly heritage issues enabled the development to continue without a hitch to a sympathetically converted and award winning conclusion. I would welcome working with English Heritage again, whether directly or in a Joint Venture with another developer who may feel a similar building they own is too daunting a task to convert."

The other North West buildings taken off the register are: - Park Mill, Congleton, Cheshire; - 38, 40 and 42 Parliament Street, Lancaster; - Water Houses Clapper Bridge, Eden, Cumbria; - 47 Bengal Street, Manchester; - Clegg Hall, Rochdale; - Tower Building, Liverpool; - The Old Court House, Liverpool; - The Nelson Memorial, Liverpool, - Barcroft Hall, Burnley.

Today's regional launch of the register in Blackpool was attended by Fred Unsworth, 80, one of the local people who helped save the Thanksgiving Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes by campaigning for it to be "spot listed." It was granted Grade II star listing on advice from English Heritage, a decision that effectively saved it from demolition.

Though never a parish church, it inspired great affection locally and nationally. While in use it was run by a community of nuns and latterly an order of priests.

Dr Jenny Freeman, Director of the Historic Chapels Trust, which now owns the chapel said: "This is a very distinguished building and we are most concerned about its future. At its opening it was described as a 'prayer in stone' and there were hopes that it would become a place of pilgrimage. We are delighted with the English Heritage funding and are now hoping for a major contribution from the Lottery Fund towards the £650,000 cost of repair and upgrading."

English Heritage has also welcomed the new BBC Two series of Restoration Village, which aims to mobilise the country to save rural Buildings At Risk.

Roly Keating, Controller, BBC Two, said: "We are delighted that Restoration Village will air this summer, a real mark of the lasting impact that series one and two of Restoration had on the nation. In contrast to the previous two series, we are devoting this show to the plight of rural buildings at risk and the communities who are passionately committed to ensuring that their precious local heritage has a future".

Higherford Mill, in Lancashire will be featured on Restoration Village

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PHOTOGRAPHS

Photographs of on http://www.papicselect.com under Arts/English Heritage/BAR2006. Images can also be taken directly from the Buildings at Risk Register online at http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/bar.

NOTE TO EDITORS

KEY FACTS FROM THE BUILDINGS AT RISK REGISTER 2006 The Register includes only buildings listed Grade I or II*, and structural Scheduled Ancient Monuments known to English Heritage to be 'at risk' from neglect, decay, under use or redundancy. * England has 30,517 buildings or groups of buildings listed Grade I and II*, an increase of 2.2% since the baseline 1999 Register (29,874), together comprising the most important 8% of our listed building stock

* Nationally, 3.3% of Grade I and II* list entries - 1 in 30 - remain at risk of loss through neglect and decay. This falls to 1.8 - 2.1% in the East of England, South West and South East; and rises to 7.8% in the North East

* The total Grade I and II* listed buildings and structural Scheduled Ancient Monuments on this Register is 1,273 entries comprising 1,411 items, compared to 1,428 entries comprising 1,615 items on the 1999 Register

* 40.5% of entries have been removed from the baseline 1999 Register as their futures have been secured (4.1% this year, 4.2% in 2005, 4.8% in 2004, 5.7% in 2003, 6.9% in 2002, 7.2% in 2001 and 7.6% in 2000), compared to our target of 40%

* 94 entries have been removed from the 2005 Register as their futures have been secured; a further 2 have been demolished and 1 has been removed following reassessment, but 68 entries have been added

* During 2005-6 we offered grant aid towards 68 buildings at risk, totalling £4.9 million

* 21% of items on this Register remain in the highest priority category, A: 'immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric with no solution agreed'. This is highest in the West Midlands and North East where 30% are in category A, compared to 8% in London

* Nationally, concrete progress is being made towards securing the future of 30% of buildings on this Register (29.8% in 2005, 29.7% in 2004, 27.5% in 2003, 26.1% in 2002, 28.2% in 2001, 27.5% in 2000 and 25% in 1999).The proportion rises to 43% in London and the East of England and falls to 22% in the South West,West Midlands and North East

* Overall, 42% of entries on this Register are capable of beneficial use, sufficient to justify their maintenance once repaired (compared to 45% in 1999).The remainder need long term stewardship

* In only about 17% of cases (20% in 1999) is the owner all or part of the problem, making coercive action a necessary part of the solution

* 13% are economic to repair and bring back into use without subsidy, compared to 13.1% in 2005, 12.2% in 2004, 12.4% in 2003, 12.8% in 2002, 13.4% in 2001, 14.5% in 2000 and 16.7% in 1999

* The total subsidy needed to bring the buildings on this Register into repair (and, where applicable, use) remains in the order of £400 million; just over half of it relates to the 3.9% of entries with a conservation deficit exceeding £1 million

English Heritage is publishing Restoration Village in July to coincide with the start of the BBC Two series. The book covers the nominated buildings in the series and includes stunning photography by Peter Williams which perfectly captures the essence of each building. Philip Wilkinson's lively text sets the nominated buildings in the context of their landscape and social background. The book includes insights and comments from the people who are fighting for their restoration and will continue to do so - whichever way the vote goes. The book also includes a foreword by series presenter, Ptolemy Dean. Hardback, price £20 available from all good bookshops or by mail order from EH Sales ehsales@gillards.com

* This week the heritage sector jointly launched the campaign History Matters - Pass It On, to mobilise the public interest in history and cultural heritage that is often expressed through programmes like Restoration and Restoration Village.

The buildings that will appear in Restoration Village are:

SOUTH-EAST MASSEY'S FOLLY, UPPER FARRINGDON, HAMPSHIRE WATTS GALLERY, COMPTON, SURREY WOODROLFE GRANARY, TOLLESBURY, ESSEX

SOUTH-WEST DAWE'S TWINE WORKS, WEST COKER, SOMERSET WELCOMBE BARTON, WELCOMBE, BIDEFORD, DEVON NEWLYN TRINITY METHODIST CHAPEL, NEWLYN, WEST CORNWALL

MIDLANDS ALL SAINTS' CHURCH, BECKINGHAM, LINCOLNSHIRE PENNOYER'S SCHOOL, PULHAM ST MARY, NORFOLK CHEDHAM'S YARD, WELLESBOURNE, WARWICKSHIRE

NORTHERN ENGLAND HOWSHAM MILL, HOWSHAM, NORTH YORKSHIRE HEUGH GUN BATTERY, THE HEADLAND, HARTLEPOOL HIGHERFORD MILL, LANCASHIRE

WALES PRICHARD JONES INSTITUTE, NEWBOROUGH, ANGLESEY PEN YR ORSEDD WORKSHOPS, NANTILE PEMBREY COURT FARM, PEMBRY, CARMARTHENSHIRE

SCOTLAND DENNIS HEAD OLD BEACON, NORTH RONALDSAY, ORKNEY GREENLAW TOWN HALL, GREENLAW, BERWICKSHIRE CROMARTY EAST CHURCH, BLACK ISLE

NORTHERN IRELAND GRACEHILL OLD SCHOOL, GRACEHILL, BALLYMENA CUSHENDUN FORMER PARISH CHURCH, CUSHENDUN, CO ANTRIM THE WHITE HOUSE, NEWTONABBEY

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