Latest news with #SAVEBritain'sHeritage
ITV News
4 days ago
- General
- ITV News
Sections of Manchester's Hotspur Press building due to be demolished this weekend
Sections of Manchester's iconic Hotspur Press building are due to be demolished this weekend. The historic mill, believed to be among the oldest in Manchester city centre, was severely damaged when a huge blaze tore through the building on 23rd than 100 people were evacuated from buildings nearby, with smoke being visible for miles. Following the fire, an order for emergency demolition work was put in place. The Demolition is set to start on Saturday night into Sunday morning, to minimise disruption to the train line running past it. Machines were in place as workers prepared to get started on Friday. A spokesperson for MCR Property Group, which own the building, was present at the site. They said parts of the building have been safely removed as part of planned work. 'We've been instructed to carry out controlled work to make the site safe, that's our priority right now. Local shops have been informed, and police are on standby to make sure the area stays secure.' Meanwhile, the fire has reignited debate over why the building was never listed. Three heritage groups, including SAVE Britain's Heritage, have now submitted a Freedom of Information request, demanding answers after the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, rejected Historic England's recommendation to protect the site.
Wales Online
03-07-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
Five historic Welsh buildings added to 'most at risk' register that need to be saved
Five historic Welsh buildings added to 'most at risk' register that need to be saved The annual announcement from conservation charities includes a mansion, a farmhouse, a cottage, a factory and a much-loved tourist attraction Five Welsh buildings now registered 'at risk' (Image: SAVE Britain's Heritage / John Lucas Wikimedia Commons ) The annual update to the list of Britain's most endangered buildings - those most at risk of total dereliction or demolition and being lost forever - has been announced by conservation charity, SAVE Britain's Heritage, and includes five Welsh properties. The register is now in its 36th year, and every 12 months the charity adds very special buildings that are desperate to find a heritage hero to secure their future to the UK's most 'at risk list'. Over the decades the list has grown to over 1,500 potential wrecks and historic buildings on their last legs, and now includes five new Welsh properties. For more property stories sent to your inbox twice a week sign up to the property newsletter here. READ MORE: Inside Martin Roberts' huge Welsh pub renovation project as he addresses lap dancing club rumours YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Landmark former hotel 'most at risk' building in Wales The charity is celebrating its fiftieth year of campaigning to save some of the UK's most iconic and landmark buildings at risk of being demolished or developed - from cottages to cinemas, railway stations to stately homes. Article continues below Current campaigns, in conjunction with the Victorian Society, include the high-profile development plans for Liverpool Street Station, London and Orchard House, the distinctive 1930s Marks & Spencer Oxford Street store that the company wants to demolish. The five Welsh buildings added to the 2025 UK list are a mansion, a farmhouse, a cottage, a much-loved tourist attraction, and a slice of south Wales industrial past. Bontddu Hall, Dolgellau, Gwynedd This impressive building photographed in 2007 (Image: SAVE Britain's Heritage / Alan Fryer/Wikimedia Commons ) Following a serious fire in 2020, there are now plans to demolish this grand former hotel building. The building was constructed in 1873 as a country house under the name Bryn Tirion, and since its conversion to a hotel hosted Winston Churchill and Neville Chamberlain. After the devastating fire the house is in ruins (Image: SAVE Britain's Heritage / John Lucas Wikimedia Commons ) The fire at the property was catastrophic. It happened in 2020 after the building was reconverted into a private home in 2001. The building is now derelict, with entire rooms left as burnt-out shells. However, much survives – elaborate columns, window frames, and tiling is still intact. Urgent action is needed to save this building from demolition and to use its bones to bring the site back to life. British Nylon Spinners, Mamhilad, Pontypool This factory was constructed in 1947 for British Nylon Spinners. The brick and concrete building is distinctive for its steel, glass, and brick 'spinning tower'. At its peak, the factory employed 8,000 people, but in 2003, DuPont, which had run the factory for eleven years, moved production to Turkey. British Nylon Spinners, Mamhilad, Pontypool (Image: Google maps ) While plans for 900 homes and a primary school on the site were approved in 2023, the approval was quashed after a Judicial Review in July, 2024. These proposals sought to demolish 40% of the grade-II* listed modernist factory building, which is currently in use as office space. Space at the site is marketed for commercial and office space. However, it is not clear whether proposals for redevelopment will return. In 2016 there were exciting and ambitious proposals to redevelop part of the site as an arts base for South East Wales with both exhibits and studio spaces put together by the ex-Eden Project team. Llancaiach Fawr, Nelson, Treharris Llancaiach Fawr manor house, Nelson, Treharris, Wales (Image: Jo Ridout, Media Wales ) Most people who have visited this once ground-breaking living history museum will be very sad and also shocked to see this gem of Caerphilly County Borough's tourist attractions now added onto SAVE's 'at risk' register. One of Wales' most important and notable Tudor houses, the building has been mothballed and is now available to let. Caerphilly Council made the decision to mothball the Grade I listed building in September, 2024, as part of a broader programme of cuts. The leasehold has been marketed since February, 2025, with interest from those keen to re-open the house to the public. Find out more about the site being closed down here. The house dates to the mid-sixteenth century, with evidence of agriculture on the land dating back to 1494 BCE. The house was built for the Prichard family. Walls four feet thick and steep intra-mural stairs reveal that the house was built with defence in mind. LLancaiach Fawr when it was open and had costume stewards to show visitors around the house (Image: Mirrorpix ) The whole house could be split into two parts, with the East wing to be occupied in the event of an attack. Charles I visited the house in 1645 during his tour of South Wales to win support during the Civil War, but the Prichard family changed sides shortly afterwards, instead supporting the Parliamentarians. Find out why Llancaiach Fawr is so special here. In the mid-nineteenth century the house was being used as a farmhouse, and following its purchase in 1979 by the local council, it was restored and opened to the public in 1990. SAVE says it would be wonderful to see this house back open to be enjoyed by the public again. Groeswen, west of Gwenddwr, Powys Classic Welsh farmhouse called Groeswen (Image: Google maps ) The rear wall of this farmhouse near the Powys village of Gwenddwr collapsed in 2000, and its condition has continued to deteriorate. Built in the early nineteenth century, this farmhouse sits above the Beili Heulog Congregational Chapel, which was built around 1740. (Image: Google maps ) The farm appears to be in use, but the building itself is derelict. Groeswen ('white cross') farmhouse is of white rubble stone, with three distinctive nine-pane windows on its western façade. The property was listed by Cadw in 2001 for being 'a substantial traditional farmhouse of the late Georgian type', SAVE states that this Grade II listed building needs action soon if it is to be saved. For more property stories join our Amazing Welsh Homes Facebook group here Pantau, Powys Frozen in time cottage in Powys (Image: SAVE Britain's Heritage / Jeremy Bolwell via Geograph CC-BY-SA 2.0 ) Described as 'Withnailian' by holiday let website Stay in Wales, this early nineteenth-century farmhouse has stood derelict for years. The house remains rather frozen in time, left abandoned with hob, TV, radio, and old jackets are still hanging up, visible through a back window. According to SAVE, this Grade II listed farmstead includes a 'gorgeous whitewashed house with stone stacks and a lean-to bakehouse'. The property was Grade II listed by Cadw in 2004 (Image: SAVE Britain's Heritage / Jeremy Bolwell via Geograph CC-BY-SA 2.0 ) The property was listed by Cadw in 2004 with the comment, 'notwithstanding some loss of fabric to the rear, for its special architectural interest as an early C19 farmstead retaining original detail and its overall C19 character'. 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BBC News
24-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Wentworth Woodhouse restoration champion Dame Julie Kenny dies
Dame Julie Kenny, one of Yorkshire's most successful businesswomen and community champions, has died aged Julie died at Doncaster Royal Infirmary on Friday after a short illness, her family was best known for her achievements across Rotherham, particularly her efforts with charity SAVE Britain's Heritage to buy and restore Wentworth Woodhouse, a Grade I listed Georgian MP and Defence Secretary John Healey called her "a remarkable woman who was proud of her roots and wanted to make life better for others." Dame Julie was born in 1957 and grew up in Hillsborough and Stannington in Sheffield. She said difficulties during her childhood had given her the motivation to 18, she left home to become a legal secretary in Cornwall, and quickly underwent legal training to start a career as a litigation 1986, she co-founded the electronic security equipment company Pyronix, which grew into an award-winning global business trading across 65 was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2019, in recognition of her successful five-year campaign to purchase Wentworth Woodhouse and her role as leader of the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation called it "one of the most inspiring, yet hardest, challenges of my life"."I believe it was a beacon, one we could make a destination for people from around the world, and how proud that would make Rotherham feel," she said."Many people told me it was impossible. But my view is that nothing is impossible with time, energy, and belief." Tim Cooke, deputy chairman of the trust, said: "Dame Julie Kenny and Wentworth Woodhouse became synonymous with one another - her personal impact on the house has been enormous."Everyone involved - employees, volunteers, trustees, and patrons - will feel her loss very keenly."Healey said he had first met Dame Julie at the Pyronix factory, where she was "adored" by her said her achievements also included being president of the Rotherham Chamber of Commerce, trust director of Doncaster Children's Services, and chair of the government development agency Yorkshire Forward."She brought brilliant business insight, plain common sense, and a warm personal touch to every organisation, and she inspired those she worked with to achieve more," he said. 'Kindness and generosity' Dame Julie was the mother of three children, stepmother of her husband's three children, and had eight husband, Iain Hall, said: "I was blessed to meet Julie in 2009, and knew very little about her life and achievements."What struck me most about her was her kindness and generosity."I fell in love with her without realising how truly special she was."I always told her she was the most extraordinary woman I had ever met."She is a light that will never go out, and the void she has left in our lives will be impossible to fill."A statement from her three children said: "She was a force of nature and a powerhouse in business."But she was also our incredible and loving mum and grandmother - inspiring, empathetic, a mentor."Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.
