Home of Shakespeare's daughter added to at-risk list

The former home of William Shakespeare's daughter and a Grade I-listed 16th Century hotel are among the sites to be added to Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register.

Hall's Croft in Stratford-upon-Avon and Rowley's House and Mansion in Shrewsbury have been added to the list amid concerns over their condition.

The annual register highlights England's most vulnerable heritage assets and the support needed to protect them.

This year, 58 sites across the whole of the Midlands have been added while 13 sites have been removed after undergoing conservation work. In the West Midlands region, 28 have been added and five removed.

Hall's Croft, the origins of which date back to 1613, was home to Shakespeare's daughter Susanna Hall and her husband Dr John Hall.

The Grade I-listed timber-framed property later served as a family home, boarding school and residence for literary figures including George Bernard Shaw and Marie Corelli.

Historic England added the building to the register due to the significant conservation challenges it faces.

The restoration project has received a £1m donation from playwright Ken Ludwig, but further funding is needed for repairs and restoration.

Also added to the register is Clifford Castle near Hay-on-Wye.

The Norman fortress dates back to about 1070 and had previously been removed from the register following repair works.

However, heavy rain earlier this year caused a major collapse in the Rosamund Tower, leaving the remaining structure fragile and closed to the public.

Also listed as at-risk are:

• Burslem Town Centre, Stoke-on-Trent
• Tower Square, Stoke-on-Trent
• Pooley Hall and attached former chapel, North Warwickshire
• Summerfield Community Centre and Job Preparation Unit, Birmingham
• Icknield Street School (Sikh Temple), Birmingham
• St Mary's Abbey Ruins, Dudley
• Pembridge Castle, Herefordshire
• Town Hall, High Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire

The register also reflects successful conservation efforts, with 13 Midlands sites removed after work was carried out to secure their future.

Among them is the Severn Wharf Building in Ironbridge, known as the Museum of the Gorge, which reopened following a £260,000 repair programme after suffering severe flood damage in 2020.

The building, which is now part of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum, recently came under the ownership and management of the National Trust.

Burslem Conservation Area in Stoke-on-Trent, known as the "Mother town of the Potteries", is also showing signs of recovery as efforts continue to safeguard its historic character.

The conservation area includes landmarks such as the Wedgwood Institute, Market Hall, School of Art, historic pottery works, bottle kilns, workers' housing and civic buildings.

The area was added to the register last year because of structural decline and the loss of historic fabric.

Since then, Historic England has worked with Stoke-on-Trent City Council and local partners on repair and regeneration projects.

A major restoration of the Grade II-listed Market Hall is now under way, supported by an £800,000 Heritage at Risk Capital Fund grant.

Historic England said the register plays a vital role in bringing attention to vulnerable heritage sites and securing investment to safeguard them.

Louisa Moore, Historic England's team leader for places regeneration in the Midlands, said sites can be added to the register for a variety of reasons, including neglect, lack of use, fire, flooding or accidental damage.

"We have had cases where there have been bridges in the West Midlands that have gone on the Heritage At Risk register after they have been hit by a truck," she said.

"In the Midlands we have a lot of industrial buildings and a lot of those were not built with a view to be there a hundreds of years later, but there are also many other different factories such as a flood or a fire that could get a building in critical condition".

She added that the register is a "really important document".

"It helps us concentrate and understand which parts of our history are at risk and what we need to save because once a building's gone it is gone forever".

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