Muxton Bridge Colliery engine house added to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register
Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register for the West Midlands is published today with the engine house of Muxton Bridge Colliery in Shropshire, added to the list.
Established around 1830, the colliery was a relatively early, deep coal mine. The pumping engine was added in the 1870s to pump water from the mine.
The engine house lies within woodland near the village of Muxton with plant growth undermining some of the brickwork and causing structural problems.
Whilst the engine house has been added to this year's list, progress is being made at several of Shropshire's industrial sites which together help tell the story of the West Midlands’ industrial past.
At the 18th century Bedlam blast furnaces at Ironbridge in Shropshire, an important survivor from the Industrial Revolution, Historic England is funding a canopy to cover and conserve the ruins.
Elsewhere in Shropshire, the Nag’s Head engine house, thought to be the oldest engine house in the village of Pontesford, is being repaired thanks to a Historic England grant and partnership work with Shropshire Council.
Rhodri Evans, Heritage at Risk Principal for Historic England in the West Midlands said: “Across the region, many historic sites are at risk of being lost but the good news is that we have removed 51 sites from this year’s Register. Historic England continues to invest grant aid and to dedicate time and expertise working with owners, developers and communities to find solutions to rescue precious sites so people can continue to enjoy them and the stories they tell about our past.”
This year 51 sites have been removed from the Register, while 42 sites have been added because of concerns about their condition, including 31 places of worship. Over the past year, Historic England has offered £1.4 million in grants to help some of the region’s best loved and most important historic sites.
The Heritage at Risk Register 2016 reveals that in the West Midlands, 88 Grade I and II* buildings, 181 scheduled monuments, 100 places of worship, 8 registered parks and gardens and 56 conservation areas are at risk of neglect, decay or inappropriate change. There are 433 assets on the West Midlands Register.
There are in total 86 entries on the at risk register in Shropshire.
The annual report is a snapshot of the health of the historic environment.
