Historic England at risk register sites in Dorset latest

Today, Historic England publishes its annual Heritage at Risk Register for 2022.

The register gives an annual snapshot of the critical health of England’s most valued historic places and those most at risk of being lost as a result of neglect, decay or inappropriate development.

In the south west over the past year, 54 historic buildings and sites have been added to the register because of their deteriorating condition, with 80 sites saved.

Read more: Historic sites we are at risk of losing forever across BCP

Many have been rescued thanks to heritage partners and dedicated teams of volunteers, community groups, charities, owners and councils, working together with Historic England.

Historic England awarded close to £1m (£0.95m) in repair grants to 46 historic places and sites, including conservation areas, in the south west on the heritage at risk register over the past year. 

High Angle Battery, The Verne Citadel, Portland, Dorset (Image: Historic England)

Rebecca Barrett, regional director at Historic England said: “It is central to Historic England’s mission that we pass on to future generations the rich legacy of historic buildings and places that we have inherited from previous generations. Our Heritage at Risk programme is a key contributor to this ambition. With the help of local communities and partners, imaginative thinking and business planning, we can bring historic places back to life in the south west.

“But as the 54 new entries on our Register show, there are challenges ahead for many communities. Strong partnerships with supporters, funders, conservation specialists and skilled craftspeople remain crucial to securing the future of many historic sites and places in the future.”

At risk in Dorset

High Angle Battery, The Verne Citadel, Portland, Dorset 

This complex of military buildings is at risk, but there’s a plan to give them an exciting new future.

High Angle Battery is part of the story of Portland’s military past and a significant element in an ‘arms race’ in the later 19th century.

It was built in the 1890s with the intention of firing shells down onto ships attacking Portland Harbour from a position invisible to those on the ships – aided by a complicated system to help the gunners locate the ships.

Read more: Historic England launches new aerial photography explorer

The site went out of use after little more than 10 years without firing a shot in anger – for the simple reason that vessels had become faster, and the system was unlikely to work. Today, what remains is an extensive below-ground complex of buildings, tunnels, and gun emplacements.

High Angle Battery, The Verne Citadel, Portland, Dorset (Image: Historic England)

High Angle Battery within the Verne Citadel is being placed on the Register due to ongoing erosion, which is damaging some of the buildings and tunnels.

Excessive weed growth is also affecting the archaeology, and theft of stonework, vandalism and graffiti on some walls is a cause for concern. Although it is free-to-enter and often stumbled upon by both visitors and locals, there is currently little on-site interpretation, so the Battery is poorly understood and under-appreciated by those that do find it.

Dorset Council is working with partners to develop and obtain funding for a project to secure High Angle Battery’s future. Aims of the project will include a programme of repairs, conservation of the site’s ecology and a new interpretation scheme.

Steve Wallis, senior archaeologist at Dorset Council, said: “We hope to involve a wide range of people and offer opportunities to develop skills in heritage conservation and management. We want High Angle Battery to become part of Portland’s offer to visitors, helping boost the local economy while remaining free to visit.”

Saved

Mesolithic sites near Culver Well, Portland, Dorset

After major excavations, an eight-thousand-year-old site re-buried to protect it for future generations.

The Mesolithic site near Culverwell, Portland is approximately 8,000 years old. It is thought to have been a settlement for around 20 people at a time when the population of Britain is estimated to have been below 5,000. Comprising a large shell midden (rubbish dump) and associated hearths, the site provides a wonderful insight into how Mesolithic people lived and used the resources around them.

Following excavations between 1967 and 1996 by archaeologist Susann Palmer, the site was left uncovered within a timber shed to allow visitors the unique opportunity to experience the archaeology at first hand. However, animal burrowing and increasing storm-intensity weather has caused some loss of this fragile site and it was placed on the Heritage at Risk Register in 2008.

Historic England (HE) has supported the owner and volunteers from the Association for Portland Archaeology (APA) to remove the shed and to backfill the site for its protection, which was completed in spring 2022. Scientists from HE along with volunteers from APA also cleaned and recorded the exposed sections and surfaces to allow a condition assessment, while small samples have been taken to enable a better understanding and record of this unique site.

In an exciting discovery during the recording of the section a scallop shell, pierced to be worn as a badge or pendant was recovered.

These are seldom found in south-west England and mostly commemorate a medieval pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain.

During an earlier phase of excavation Ms Palmer found another pierced scallop badge beneath a prominent stone within the shell midden. Both badges are a national rarity, with fewer than a dozen of any age known to have been found in England.