Former Coventry monastery among at-risk buildings saved

More than £4m has been spent repairing Coventry Charterhouse including conserving wall paintings at the site

A former monastery is among 13 endangered sites in the West Midlands saved from ruin, according to Historic England.

More than £4m has been spent on Coventry Charterhouse on London Road to turn it into a visitor centre.

But the conservation group said another 13 sites in the region had been added to its Heritage At Risk Register.

They included an illustrious centre for learning in Birmingham and a country house abandoned to ruin.

Louise Brennan, from Historic England, said they wanted to make sure the "rich legacy" of historic buildings and places in the area were passed on to future generations.

"With the help of local communities and partners, imaginative thinking and business planning, we can bring historic places back to life in the West Midlands," she added.

Other places removed from the register due to being deemed "saved" include a Grade II listed medieval cross in Worcestershire and a church tower in Staffordshire which has become an arts and community centre.

The Birmingham and Midland Institute has been added to the register as Historic England has concerns about its leaking roof

The Birmingham and Midland Institute was added as Historic England said it was at risk from a leaking roof while Middleton Hall, Warwickshire, was undergoing repairs but still a "work in progress".

The register has a total of 392 sites across the West Midlands on it while the group said it had given more than £1.2m in repair grants to 11 buildings and places over the last year.

Here are some of the stories of the buildings that have been saved.

Coventry Charterhouse, London Road, Coventry

Coventry Charterhouse will reopen as a visitor centre after extensive repairs

The Grade I listed former monastery was founded in 1381 as one of nine Carthusian Houses - a Catholic religious order - and grew until the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII.

It was added to the register in 2013 as Historic England said it was not being fully used, the roof was in poor condition and the "exceptional" wall paintings were under threat.

Repairs began in October 2019 with more than £4m of funding and all works on the roof and external buildings were finished in May ahead of it becoming a visitor centre.

While a date has not been set for the site to reopen, the conservation body said the completed repairs meant it was no longer deemed at risk.

Elmley Castle Village Cross, Wychavon, Worcestershire

Residents helped Historic England monitor the Elmley Castle village cross and, as it was deemed at risk of collapse, repairs were carried out

The medieval standing cross had stood for centuries to show the way for pilgrims and travellers but started to lean in recent years, Historic England said.

Residents worked with the group to monitor the lean and revealed it was at risk of collapse.

Repairs, paid for with a grant from Historic England, have enabled it to be removed from the register.

Shenstone Tower, Shenstone Village, Staffordshire

Volunteers have turned Shenstone Tower into an arts and community centre

The tower, all that remains of a medieval church after the rest was demolished in 1853, was put on the register in 1998.

In 2019, the Friends of Shenstone Tower formed to rescue it and raised £116,000 through events and appeals.

Historic England awarded the group more than £440,000 to finish the project this year and it has been turned into a community venue for public use.

Other sites removed this year include the Church of St Margaret in Acton Scott, Shropshire, the Camp Ring motte and bailey castle near Stanton Lacy, Shropshire and the Gannow Green Moated Site, New Frankley, Birmingham.