Heritage sites added to East Midlands 'at risk' register

A grant has been awarded of £60,000 for repairs to Newport Arch

A Roman arch over a road in Lincoln is one of 20 sites in the East Midlands to appear on the 2012 English Heritage at Risk Register.

Other sites include Taylor's Bell Foundry in Loughborough and the Chapel of St John the Baptist in Derbyshire.

English Heritage (EH) has included Grade II listed buildings for the first time in a bid to attract support.

It said being on the list meant a greater chance of securing grants.

The Roman Grade I listed Newport Arch has been damaged by vegetation growth and currently has a net in place to prevent loose masonry hitting passing cars and pedestrians.

Public help

The Grade II listed Hippodrome on Green Lane in Derby, which opened its doors in 1914, has also been added to the register.

It was damaged by repair work in 2008 and again by fire in 2011, but campaigners want to restore the derelict former theatre.

The inclusion of Grade II listed buildings such as Taylor's Bell Foundry in Loughborough, the only operational purpose-built bell foundry in England, is intended to attract more community interest, English Heritage said.

It has awarded a grant of £15,000 to investigate the foundry's leaking roof.

In Matlock, the Chapel of St John the Baptist, which was built in 1897, has secured nearly £200,000 for repairs and at Greasley Castle in Broxtowe, work to repair the ruins has taken place.

English Heritage hopes the inclusion of Grade II buildings will encourage the public to get involved with projects and identify buildings which are falling into disrepair.