'Decaying' cemetery chapel added to endangered list

A Victorian cemetery chapel built during a mortality crisis has been classed as "at risk" by a preservation charity.

The building at Edgerton Cemetery in Huddersfield appears in the Victorian Society's list of the top 10 most endangered buildings in the country.

Dating back to 1855, the Grade II-listed chapel's condition has deteriorated in recent years.

Tom Ollivier of the Victorian Society, said: "Without preservation we risk losing part of our history."

The town's public cemetery was laid out during a period when burials in urban areas were increasing.

It was designed by James Pritchett, the architect behind Huddersfield Station.

He included two chapels, one Anglican and one Non-conformist, which aded each other.

The chapel has suffered repeated arson attacks.

"The roof has caved in, it really is in a sorry state," Mr Ollivier continued.

"If we can see that this building is either restored or preserved then it is a phenomenal feature of the landscape."

The Victorian Society advocates for the protection of Victorian and Edwardian heritage, and hopes the addition of the chapel to the list will raise awareness of its plight.

Geoff Hughes, a member of the West Yorkshire branch of the society, said the chapel "tells the story" of Huddersfield.

"It is our history and how people have grown and how things have changed to become what they are today.

"It has basically gone to rack and ruin over the last 20 years."

Mr Hughes added that his vision for the Kirklees Council-owned site would be for it to become a park.

"These were designed as cemeteries that, when full, would be turned into parks," he said.

Chris Marsden, an architectural historian who lives in Huddersfield, said he would like to see more done to save the "magnificent building".

"I think it would be a heritage crime to let it fall down or get demolished."

He added that heritage sites like Edgerton Chapel gave people an insight into the past and act as a "history of the town in one acre".

Both chapels narrowly escaped demolition in 1985 and were derelict and fenced-off by 2008, when ideas for new uses were explored.

The Victorian Society's list of endangered sites is based on public nominations from across England and Wales.

The buildings selected represent industrial, religious, domestic, and civic architecture from across the nation with unique historical and community significance and value.

Mr Ollivier added that without the list, the country was at risk of "losing part of our history, part of our identity, we are losing something that makes that specific part of the world special".

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