Most endangered Victorian buildings revealed

A school and a cemetery chapel have been named in the top 10 most endangered Victorian-era buildings in England and Wales.

The list is drawn up each year by the Victorian Society, selected from nominations made by the public, to raise the profile of the buildings it believes are most in need of rescue.

Among them is the long-empty former Oakes Board School in Huddersfield, which the charity said was a "clear example of a building that could and should have a viable future".

The Victorian Society, of which Griff Rhys Jones is president, also highlighted the plight of at-risk St Michael's RC Cemetery Chapel in Sheffield.

The Grade II-listed Oakes Board School in Lindley was opened in 1873, before being exended in 1885.

Its buildings were described as "seriously decaying" by the Victorian Society, but in an otherwise well-looked-after district of surviving Victorian commercial, domestic and community buildings.

The school closed soon after 1970 and was in residential use before being used as a care home for some years until that in turn closed.

There are two other buildings on the site including Oakes School Lodge, which is maintained and occupied.

James Hughes, director of the Victorian Society, said: "Oakes School is a clear example of a building that could and should have a viable future.

"Its continued decline is not inevitable, but the result of inaction.

"With strong local demand and successful examples of reuse nearby, there is no reason why this building cannot once again contribute to the life of the community."

St Michael's RC Cemetery Chapel in Sheffield's City Road Cemetery is a striking example of a once-common building type now in steep decline.

It is one of three originally built in the cemetery, and although designated for Roman Catholic use, is owned and maintained by Sheffield City Council.

The Victorian Society said a report in 2018 identified serious structural concerns, noting that the roof was in extremely poor condition, with missing tiles, vegetation growth and likely compromised structural integrity.

Like all the buildings on the list, the chapel is Grade II-listed.

The charity said: "Without a clear plan for repair and reuse, these buildings, once central to civic and spiritual life, risk being lost entirely."

Hackney Borough Disinfecting Station, London.

Tees Transporter Bridge, Stockton-on-Tees/Middlesbrough.

New Market Buildings, Bridgnorth.

Former Strand Railway Station and Railway Men's Club, Barrow in Furness.

Faenol (Vaynol) Mausoleum, Pentir, nr Bangor.

Oakes School, Huddersfield.

Parndon Hall, Harlow.

St Michael's RC Cemetery Chapel, Sheffield.

Derby School of Art, Derby.

Former Library and Mechanics Institute, Devonport.

Rhys Jones said: "As I always find, these buildings reflect an incredible range of styles and social awareness.

"They exemplify Victorian ideals.

"Railways, markets, art schools, institutes, monuments to the dead, chapels and even a transporter bridge: they all become intriguing as soon as you start to examine their stories.

"They take us straight into the age which provided the building blocks for the society we live in today."

He said there were no buildings on the list which could not be revived.

"We need to shout out about these ones," he said.

"They have a future for all of us.

"They can be reused. That's the green option. They are each part of the character and quality and history that made Britain and can continue to make Britain."

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