Reuse me or lose me
SOME 67 new entries have been added to the Buildings at Risk Register, it was announced last week. The register, which is collated by SAVE Britain’s Heritage (SAVE), is designed to highlight disused historic buildings of all ages that could be repurposed rather than demolished. The register is in its 34th year and contains more than 1,400 structures that are either derelict or in disuse.
One place to make this year’s list is the Withy Grove Stores (right) in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. The largely abandoned and derelict building has hosted a family business since 1840 and fine architectural detailing marks it out as a structure of note. It is the only survivor of the other Victorian industrial and commercial buildings on the street. Another entry is the former St Andrews Asylum (top) in Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich, Norfolk. The main Grade II-listed building, known as Southside, has been refurbished into luxury housing, but Northside remains derelict, exposed and vulnerable to further deterioration. All that remains is a clocktower, two ranges on either side and a mortuary and pavilion.
‘SAVE’s register is a rich resource for historic buildings up and down the country that matter to us all, but are standing empty and neglected,’ said Liz Fuller, buildings at risk officer. ‘They will be lost completely unless new uses are found for them to bring them back to life in
