Leaky church among new sites on at risk

Nationally important 15th-Century paintings concealed within a church ceiling are at risk due to a leaky roof.

Christchurch Priory in Dorset is one of scores of sites added to the Heritage at Risk by Historic England.

"We're very grateful," says the Reverend Canon Charles Stewart, who believes recognition of their plight could be key to saving the 900-year-old building.

"If a national body like Historic England says it's important and it is at risk, that should carry quite a lot more emphasis than we could manage on our own."

In 2021, the priory was already in talks with Historic England about a planned programme of works when, unexpectedly, water began penetrating the vast nave roof.

Speaking to Radio Solent, Mr Stewart said: "The bit the public doesn't see is, underneath the roof, concealed by the 19th-Century ceiling, there is a stunning 15th-Century wooden beamed roof that has painted decorations on it which are of at least national, if not international, importance.

"We've got our estimates and are going out to trusts and donors for funding, and having Historic England's view on this can only help us."

More than 4,800 sites across England are now listed as being at risk of neglect, decay or inappropriate development, including about 1,000 churches - many, like the priory, have leaky roofs.

In Berkshire, the Church of St Gregory in Welford was unsuccessful in its 2017 bid for lottery funding and it remains on the while its roof continues to be need of repair.

In Cowes on the Isle of Wight, Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund helped fund repairs to the tower and north roof of the Church of St Mary, but more work is still needed in other parts of the building.

While plenty of sites remain in need of attention, there are many others that have been taken off the list.

A 15th-Century barn on the Hampshire estate where Downton Abbey was filmed has been "saved", having previously been deemed at risk due to leaks and falling joists.

The renovation of the Grade I-listed barn, part of the Highclere Estate owned by the Earl of Carnarvon, was part funded by an increase in visitors to the nearby castle.

In Oxfordshire, the ruins of an Elizabethan manor house at Hampton Gay have also been repaired and stabilised after Historic England helped the landowner seek Countryside Stewardship Funding.

The 16th-Century building, which was destroyed by fire in 1887, was part of a small settlement now protected as a "deserted village".

Rosie Byford of Historic England described the as an "annual health check" to highlight places that "need a bit more love and care to ensure they are there to enjoy" for future generations.

"It is often the owner or a member of the community that will come to us and start the conversation," she added.

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