Twelve historic sites rescued from at-risk status

The Rockingham Kiln in Swinton, near Rotherham, was saved after undergoing repairs

Twelve heritage sites in Yorkshire have been rescued from potential loss this year following extensive repairs.

Historic England has unveiled its Heritage at Risk Register 2025, which looks at the health of the country's valued historic buildings and places.

This year, sites in Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford and Dalton in North Yorkshire were among those "saved" and removed from the list following restoration projects.

However, five North and West Yorkshire sites in need of conservation work were added to the register.

Historic England said it had awarded £763,564 in grants for repairs to Yorkshire sites on the register during the 2024/2025 period.

It included Rockingham Kiln in Rotherham, which received £77,000 to support its repair in 2024 and has now been removed from the register.

The structure is a rare survival of what was once an internationally-renowned porcelain works, producing flamboyant items for royalty and aristocracy, including King William IV.

Due to structural issues including decaying brickwork, mortar and timber as well as vegetation growth, the site was added to the Heritage at Risk Register in 2022.

The Well Meadow Street conservation area was placed on the register due to dereliction

A landmark site for Sheffield's steel heritage has also been removed from the register.

The Well Meadow Street conservation area includes some of the best surviving examples of the small-scale steel and cutlery works.

It was placed on the register due to dereliction and unsympathetic development, following changing land uses in the 20th Century.

Grant support from Historic England and other funders led to the repair of once-derelict buildings and the redevelopment of empty sites.

Bower Spring Cementation Furnace, an important monument to Sheffield's steelmaking industry, was also rescued.

It is the only surviving site containing both cementation and crucible furnaces, showcasing the development of steel manufacturing processes, but was threatened by collapsing brickwork and vegetation growth.

It joined the at-risk register in the 1990s but with more than £60,000 of funding, repairs were carried out.

They included repointing masonry, removing vegetation, consolidating stonework, installing protective cappings and removing recent graffiti.

New paving and landscaping were also added to make the site easier to maintain.

Bower Spring Cementation Furnace originally joined the rgeister in the 1990s

Claudia Kenyatta CBE and Emma Squire CBE, co-CEOs of Historic England, said: "The heritage we see all around us impacts how we feel about our local places.

"The annual Heritage at Risk Register gives us the opportunity to celebrate the many benefits of bringing our historic buildings back into use."

They added the best way to protect buildings was to reuse them and turn them into places of "local connection and joy".

"The sites that have been saved and have come off the Register this year really highlight the benefits of working together in partnership, and with communities, to create positive, sustainable change," they said.

"Together we can safeguard our heritage for future generations."

The following sites were removed from the Heritage at Risk Register in Yorkshire in 2025:

• Well Meadow Conservation Area, Sheffield

• Cannon Hall, Cawthorne, South Yorkshire

• Bower Spring cementation furnace, Sheffield

• Handlands Romano-British settlement, Ecclesfield, Sheffield

• Church of St Thomas, Kirkburton, West Yorkshire

• Church of St John the Evangelist, Dalton, North Yorkshire

• Church of the Holy Trinity, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire

• Church of St Paul, King Cross, West Yorkshire

• Church of St James, Bradford, West Yorkshire

• Church of St Andrew, Yeadon and Guiseley, West Yorkshire

• Rockingham Kiln (Swinton Pottery), South Yorkshire

• Temple Works gate lodge, Leeds, West Yorkshire

The following sites were added to the list:

• Kirkhill, 9, Church Street, Hinderwell, North Yorkshire

• Church of St Oswald, West Hauxwell, North Yorkshire

• Crayke Castle - New Tower, ruins adjacent to Crayke Castle, Crayke, North Yorkshire

• Church of St Andrew, Finghall, North Yorkshire

• Church of St John, Mirfield, West Yorkshire

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