Historic England Publishes 2025 Risk Register

Historic England has released the Heritage at Risk Register for 2025, offering an annual picture of the condition of some of England’s most significant historic buildings and places. The register is intended to show where support is needed and where investment and community involvement are already making a difference. Heritage plays a central role in how people feel about their local areas. It shapes identity, creates pride and influences how places are experienced. When older buildings fall out of use or begin to deteriorate, people often sense a wider decline in the character of where they live and work, which is why the register remains such an important tool.

This year’s update highlights how many historic sites have been brought back into use. A total of 129 places has been removed from the register thanks to repair work, careful planning and partnerships between councils, owners, charities, community groups and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The restored Bruce Grove Public Toilets in Tottenham are one of the clearest examples. The Grade II listed building has reopened as a café and community facility, with new public toilets and a social value lease that ensures it continues to benefit local people.

Further north, conservation work at Augill Smelting Mill in the North Pennines has secured the future of one of the area’s defining industrial structures. Volunteer programmes and community engagement are already helping people understand more about the surrounding mining landscape. In Tower Hamlets, a Grade II listed former weavers’ cottage on Redchurch Street has been transformed from a derelict building into a modern retail space that still reflects its past. Gloucester has seen similar progress at 26 Westgate, the largest timber-framed townhouse in England. Repairs supported by Historic England have brought the building back into use as the Gloucester Antiques Centre, contributing to the revival of the historic high street.

Historic England has also highlighted the environmental value of restoring older buildings. Demolishing and replacing historic structures carry a substantial carbon impact, and many older properties can be adapted for low-carbon, long-term use. The Old School Coffee House in Barnstaple, founded in 1659 as a school for young women, is an example of this approach. Once vacant, it has now been converted into affordable and sustainable housing while retaining its historic character.

While many sites have been saved, others are newly identified as needing help. A total of 138 buildings and places have been added to the 2025 register due to concerns around neglect, decay or inappropriate development. These include the Hill Garden Pergola on Hampstead Heath, the birthplace of vaccination known as Dr Jenner’s Hut in Gloucestershire, the Church of St Wendreda in Cambridgeshire and Cromford Mills in Derbyshire, a site closely associated with the early factory system.

Historic England’s Co-CEOs, Claudia Kenyatta CBE and Emma Squire CBE, have stressed the importance of reuse and partnership working. They believe that heritage contributes to wellbeing, creativity and local pride, and that working with communities offers the strongest route to protecting historic places for the future. Heritage Minister Baroness Twycross echoed this, noting that the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund has played a central role in saving many of the buildings now removed from the register. The 2025 register shows both the scale of the challenge and the progress already achieved. With committed collaboration between local authorities, heritage groups, funders and local residents, more historic buildings can be restored, reused and reintroduced into daily community life. Historic England has said it is determined to continue this work and support the places most in need, ensuring England’s built heritage remains a meaningful part of modern life and available for future generations to enjoy.

Written by: Lee-John Ryan