Decay fears for Shropshire's industrial past

The 12 new county entries on English Heritage's register of sites in danger of deterioration and decay, have brought the total number in Shropshire up to 96.

This takes into account the seven sites in the county which have been removed from the register this year.

Listed buildings, places of worship, industrial sites, scheduled monuments and archaeology, conservation areas, parks and gardens, protected wrecks and battlefields have been identified as "at risk", and in need of rescue.

Bedlam Furnaces in the Ironbridge Gorge have been deemed "at risk" due to part of the monument being unstable and supported by scaffolding.

The 18th century furnaces stand as a reminder of Shropshire's pivotal role in the Industrial Revolution.

They were so iconic that they made their way onto several dramatic artworks from the time.

Built into the valley side in the 1750s, Bedlam Furnaces has been labelled as "Category A", with "immediate risk of further rapid deterioration".

The register states: "Exposure to the elements has led to water damage and the failure of repairs undertaken in the late 1990s.

"Consolidation and a more permanent solution for the protection of the monument are now urgently needed.

"The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, the council and English Heritage are discussing a way forward."

A spokeswoman for English Heritage said 662 places have been added to the register in 2014, with 69 of these based in the West Midlands region.

Other Shropshire sites added include St Peter's Church in Oakengates, Telford, which is at "immediate risk of further rapid deterioration" and a historic motte castle in Willaston, Ightfield, near Whitchurch.

Efforts by owners have rescued three Shropshire parks and gardens who recognised the importance of some of the region's finest historic gems.

These include Lilleshall Hall near Newport and gardens at Condover and Acton Burnell, where owners have researched the history and development of the gardens and committed to conservation management plans agreed with English Heritage.

Some £8.8 million in grants was spent on 262 entries on the Heritage at Risk Register during 2013/14.

12 sites at risk in region

Twelve sites added to the "at risk" list in Shropshire:

• Grade I listed St Michael’s Church in Munslow

• Grade I Abbey Church of the Holy Cross, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury

• Grade I listed St Peter’s Church, Wrockwardine

• Grade II listed St John the Baptist Church, Kenley

• Grade II listed St John the Baptist Church, Myndtown

• Grade II listed Church of St Mark, Chirbury with Brompton

• Grade II Church of St Peter, Church Road, Oakengates

• Bedlam Furnaces, The Gorge, Ironbridge Gorge

• Castle Pulverbatch motte and bailey castle with outer bailey, Church Pulverbatch

• Moated site and associated ridge and furrow cultivation remains, Hadnall

• Motte castle 220 metres north west of Higher Kempley Farm, Willaston, Ightfield

• Motte and bailey castle 100 metres west of Holy Trinity Church, Lydham

Seven sites off the list

Seven sites in Shropshire have been removed from the list:

• Grade I listed Holy Trinity Church, Holdgate, Abdon.

• The Hermitage Caves, overlooking Low Town in Bridgnorth, which were dwellings of the homeless poor and date back to the Saxon period.

• Wat’s Dyke, a 40-mile raised mound earthwork between Selattyn and Gobowen. It runs through the northern Welsh Marches from Basingwerk Abbey on the River Dee estuary, passing to the east of Oswestry and on to Maesbury in Shropshire.

• Moated site and fish pond 450 metres north west of Hunkington, Upton Magna, near Shrewsbury.

• Acton Burnell park, near Shrewsbury.

• Condover Hall gardens, Condover, near Shrewsbury.

• Lilleshall Hall gardens, near Newport, stretches for 50 acres and is now a national sports centre.