Gwalia, Liverpool. Photograph: Jonathon Wild http://www.sandfieldtower.co.uk/

The Victorian Society has included this dignified, but decaying house, listed as Gwalia, but also known as Sandfield Tower, on its Top Ten Endangered Buildings 2025 list.

Griff Rhys Jones, Victorian Society President, said: ‘It’s the same old story. Sandfield Tower is known to so many Liverpool people who pass it every day. Its sad and ridiculous state is the result of forty years of neglect by one owner – possibly hoping to let it fall down. I couldn’t say. We cannot allow this process to win. It is repeated everywhere. When this once magisterial house has been compulsory purchased, this decaying building needs some good ideas. There are vocal and dedicated supporters out there. The council surely needs to take action.’

Each day, thousands travelling along Queens Drive, Liverpool’s inner ring road, catch a fleeting glimpse of Sandfield Tower – a once-magnificent Victorian landmark now abandoned, vandalised, and weather-beaten. While most pass by, one man, Jonathon Wild, chose to act. For 25 years, he has campaigned tirelessly to save this striking building: researching its history, publishing a book, lobbying politicians, and documenting its plight on his website dedicated to Liverpool’s endangered local heritage.

Gwalia from its front gates. Photograph: Jonathon Wild http://www.sandfieldtower.co.uk/

Built in 1854 for Joseph Edwards, a wealthy South American merchant, the villa – known variously as Sandfield Park, The Tower, Gwalia, and Sandfield Tower – was a proud addition to West Derby’s grand suburban landscape. After Edwards’s death in 1878, the house passed through a series of owners: Alice Houghton and William Kinsman (1880–1890), Ralph Lyon Broadbent (1891–1900), and finally the Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist, which converted it into a place of worship in 1931. When the church moved out in the 1980s, Sandfield Tower fell silent – and has remained empty for four decades.

Seats arranged for a service. Photograph: Jonathon Wild http://www.sandfieldtower.co.uk/

Jonathon’s steadfast campaigning drew the Council’s attention to the building’s worsening condition. Despite securing the site and issuing repeated essential repair notices to the owner, no works were ever carried out. In 2020, the Council finally prepared to issue a compulsory purchase order; repair estimates were commissioned, but the same day, a spending freeze halted all progress. Responsibility slipped away once more.

The consequences have been devastating. With no intervention, the roof gave way, collapsing the internal structure and leaving the front of the building a gaping, skeletal void. Historic England has long been aware of the situation, but without decisive action from Liverpool Council, Sandfield Tower – once a proud monument to Liverpool’s Victorian prosperity – has become a crumbling folly.

Gwalia drone shot of roof which has caved in. Photograph: Jonathon Wild http://www.sandfieldtower.co.uk/

The owner’s neglect appears deliberate, with the clear aim of allowing the building’s demise to pave the way for redevelopment. This must not be allowed to happen. Owners of listed buildings have a legal and moral obligation to make timely, sympathetic repairs. They should not be permitted to preside over the slow-motion destruction of our shared architectural heritage.

The Victorian Society calls urgently on Liverpool City Council to complete the compulsory purchase of Sandfield Tower, saving this historic building from further ruin and restoring it for future generations. Sandfield Tower deserves more than to be left to rot – it deserves a future.

James Hughes, Director of the Victorian Society, said: ‘Heritage abandoned is history lost. Liverpool must rescue Sandfield Tower before it vanishes forever.’

The full Top Ten Endangered Buildings list 2025 of Victorian and Edwardian buildings, and the archive of our previous Top Ten lists can be viewed here.

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Facade of 33 – 39 St James St, King’s Lynn. Photograph: Connor McNeill.

33 – 39 St James Street, King’s Lynn, Norfolk. Grade II, A. F. Scott, 1908

The Victorian Society has placed this extraordinary early example of modernist design and concrete construction on its Top Ten Endangered Buildings List 2025.

Griff Rhys Jones OBE, Victorian Society President, said: ‘Kings Lynn is a wondrous town, and this is a truly exciting building. Given that it looks so fit for purpose, so strong and elegant, what a pity that people have cause to worry about it. The place looks boldly modern and yet there are worries about its decay and future use. I feel confident that a minimum amount of attention from the owners could make this a shining example of recycling for the modern era. What are we waiting for?’

Norfolk might not be known for architectural innovation, but No. 33–39 St James Street in King’s Lynn defies expectations. Designed by Augustus Frederic Scott, a pioneering Norfolk-based architect – and a Primitive Methodist, vegetarian, teetotaller, and cyclist – it stands as an extraordinary early example of modernist design and concrete construction.

A.F. Scott (Photo: courtesy Judith Merrill: A.F. Scott Archive)

Built before World War I, No. 33–39, a Grade II listed building, is remarkable for its exposed concrete frame, boldly expressing its structure rather than concealing it behind brick or render. This makes it a rare and significant precursor to the European Functionalism that gained prominence after the war. Architectural critic Ian Nairn, writing in Architectural Review in 1955, called Scott ‘a free thinker who produced modern buildings without knowing they had done so.’ This building exemplifies that sentiment: devoid of ornament, defined by its clean lines, and entirely shaped by function.

A photo of the staff of the Building Material Company (King’s Lynn) Ltd who commissioned the building, in front of their 33-39 St James Street, King’s Lynn offices, showroom, and warehouse. Photograph: G D T Green.

Scott had already made waves in 1903 with his Chamberlin’s factory in Norwich, the first reinforced concrete building in East Anglia – described by Pevsner as of ‘European importance.’ Though that factory is now demolished, Scott’s influence continued in projects like the Buntings department store (now M&S) in Norwich, which concealed a steel frame behind a traditional façade. The loss of these other buildings makes the survival of No. 33–39 in King’s Lynn all the more critical.

Constructed as the offices, showroom, and warehouse for the Building Material Company (King’s Lynn) Ltd., the building was built by local contractor W. A. Bardell. The company operated there for over six decades until its insolvency in 1968. The structure later became a car showroom and workshop, and is currently leased by Kwik Fit.

33-39 St James Street in King’s Lynn today. Photograph: Connor McNeill.

In the late 20th century, internal subdivision created two retail units, one of which briefly functioned as a pub. However, since at least 2019, the upper floors – once offices and showrooms – have been inaccessible due to the removal of staircases and lifts. They have reportedly stood empty for 15 to 20 years.

Though Kwik Fit leases the entire property, it appears to maintain only the small area it uses on the ground floor. The building’s remainder, particularly the St James Street-facing section, is in long-term disuse and deterioration. The King’s Lynn Civic Society has long voiced concern, and The Victorian Society now urges action.

Kwik-Fit at the rear of 33 – 39 St James Street in 2025.

Given the significance of Scott’s early modernist concrete work – and the loss of his other key concrete building – No. 33–39 may be of European importance. The building’s current owners, an investment company, must act now to safeguard this rare piece of architectural heritage.

James Hughes, Director, The Victorian Society said: ‘This bold and brilliant building is an unheralded but pioneering example of early modernism. It deserves urgent attention – not just to preserve its fabric, but to celebrate its place in European architectural history.’

St James Street decked out for a royal anniversary. Photograph: G D T Green

The full Top Ten Endangered Buildings list 2025 of Victorian and Edwardian buildings, and the archive of our previous Top Ten lists can be viewed here.

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Edgerton Cemetery Chapel Huddersfield. Photograph: Geoff Hughes.

Edgerton Cemetery Chapel, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, Grade II, James Pritchett, circa 1853 – 1855

This fine, decaying West Yorkshire mortuary chapel has been included on the Society’s Top Ten Endangered Buildings list for 2025. The Victorian Society is making a plea for all cemetery chapels.

Griff Rhys Jones, Victorian Society President, said ‘The Victorians were sometimes at their most flamboyantly imaginative with their cemeteries. Who hasn’t explored their monuments and vaults in awe? This chapel is an important part of this funerary park and could so easily become a dignified centre of its sombre glories again. Out of respect and a sense of good order, we need to see this chapel and, indeed any like it, brought back into the world of the living.’

The burial crisis of the 19th century, driven by soaring mortality rates, reshaped the landscapes of British towns and cities. Overcrowded churchyards, overwhelmed by the dead, forced urgent reform. In Huddersfield, where the parish churchyard alone is thought to have received over 38,000 bodies, complaints about appalling stench and the gruesome disturbance of remains during new interments grew impossible to ignore.

Parliament’s 1850 legislation permitting local authorities to establish burial grounds marked a turning point. Huddersfield’s civic leaders – businessmen, politicians, and journalists – swiftly embraced the opportunity to create a new cemetery, spearheaded by radical reformer Joshua Hobson, Clerk of the newly formed Board of Works. Edgerton was chosen: a site close to existing graveyards, yet far enough from busy streets, with prevailing winds to carry any odours away from town.

Reflecting the Victorian fashion for garden cemeteries, Edgerton was to feature two mortuary chapels – one Anglican, one Nonconformist – allowing mourners to pay their respects before burial. Mortuary chapels, or chapels of ease, served both spiritual and practical needs, offering dignity and reverence to the funeral process. The full cost of the cemetery, including land, landscaping, lodges, and chapels, was £13,000—equivalent to around £1.2 million today.

In March 1853, architect James Pritchett, already known for York Cemetery and Huddersfield Railway Station, was appointed to design Edgerton Cemetery. However, his initial plan – to place the Anglican and Nonconformist chapels in contact – provoked outrage in a climate of intense religious division. Forced to revise his scheme, Pritchett ingeniously separated the two chapels across a central vaulted arch, symbolically and physically preserving their distinct identities.

As funerary customs have changed, many mortuary chapels have fallen into neglect. Edgerton’s once-proud structure, its soaring arch and spire still visible above the trees, now stands in decay. The roof has collapsed, and arson attacks have left the building a tragic ruin.

Vaulted arch between the cemetery chapels in Edgerton Cemetery, Huddersfield. Photograph: Geoff Hughes.

Door to one of the cemetery chapels. Photograph: Geoff Hughes.

In 2009, the Victorian Society called upon the public to help survey cemetery chapels nationwide. Yet the full number of these evocative buildings remains unknown. Some survive in use or are well-maintained; many are boarded up, vandalised, or crumbling. Cemeteries, often vast green spaces at the heart of communities, are chronically underused, and their chapels – built to be welcoming to all – are decaying.

Victorian cemetery designers envisaged that once burial grounds were full, they would evolve into public parks. That vision remains compelling today. The Victorian Society invites a renewed conversation about how we can reimagine these atmospheric spaces and save the remarkable buildings within them for future generations.

James Hughes, Director of the Victorian Society, said: ‘Edgerton Cemetery Chapel is a poignant reminder of the Victorian era’s response to a crisis of profound social and spiritual importance. Today, as this and other cemetery chapels fall into neglect, we must not allow them to be forgotten. The Society calls for renewed attention for these remarkable buildings and the visionary landscapes they inhabit, ensuring they are preserved for future generations to experience and appreciate.’

Another pair of cemetery chapels was placed on the Society’s Top Ten Endangered Buildings List back in 2017, the Ince-in-Makerfield chapels in Greater Manchester, which were designed by Alfred Waterhouse, architect of the Natural History Museum – read more. In 2019 Wigan Council received £100,000 towards restoration, but by 2023 the council were calling for a local friends group to be founded to raise more funds as they said the existing grant was not sufficient to cover the repairs. Other cemetery chapels were added to our  Top Ten Endangered Buildings lists in 2018, the Brandwood End Chapels in Birmingham, and in 2012 the Agecroft Chapel in Salford.

The full Top Ten Endangered Buildings list 2025 of Victorian and Edwardian buildings, and the archive of our previous Top Ten lists can be viewed here.

Entrance to one of the chapels in Edgerton Cemetery. Photograph: Geoff Hughes.

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Facade of Gibson Street Baths, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Photograph: Graham Tyrrell

Gibson Street Baths, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Grade II, F. H. Holford, 1906 –1907

Included on the Society’s 2025 list of Top Ten Endangered Buildings is this proud but crumbling Edwardian building.

Griff Rhys Jones OBE, Victorian Society President, said: ‘I have lost count of the number of public bath houses that we see in decline, but people truly love these local amenities. There are passionate groups standing by to save their water pools and services, but here bureaucracy has wound them in a skein of “strings attached”. Please let the local supporters get to work and raise the funds and find a good new integrated use for what was once a prime example of public concern and welfare and an illustration of Victorian-Edwardian values at their best.’

The rapid, unplanned growth of towns and cities during the Industrial Revolution left little provision for public hygiene. With disease widespread, the 1846 Public Baths and Wash-houses Act – prompted by a campaign led by the Bishop of London – became the first legislation empowering local authorities to build public bathing facilities, funded via the Poor Rate. In Newcastle, an 1845 report highlighted the issue: with river access curtailed by development along the Tyne, working-class people were left without suitable or private places to bathe. Existing baths in the city’s upper parts were inaccessible to the poor. Recommendations included creating affordable or free public baths near steam engines to provide hot water in winter.

Gibson Street Baths, opened in 1907, was the fourth such facility built in Newcastle under the Act and is now one of just three pre-1914 swimming baths still standing in Tyne-and-Wear (alongside Byker and Wallsend). Constructed at a cost of £28,000, Alderman Holmes described it as “the most complete set of baths for their size in England.” The opening ceremony was marked by a performance from Olympic swimmer Arthur ‘Jack’ Jarvis, and the baths provided both slipper baths and laundry facilities.

The men’s entrance to Gibson Street Baths. Photograph: Graham Tyrrell.

Men and women entered through separate doors, and the interior boasts exquisite tiling. The men’s entrance hall features four remarkable panels: two signed by the celebrated Dorset tile-makers Carter & Co, depicting mermaids, and two others showing a water polo match and a diver in striped swimwear – extraordinary works praised by architectural historian Lynn Pearson as without parallel, even in Britain’s grandest historic baths. A fifth panel lists the 15 members of the Baths & Wash Houses Committee, as well as the architect and builders, beneath Newcastle’s coat of arms.

Interiors tiles in reception at Gibson Street Baths in Newcastle. Photograph: Empty Images – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License

Interiors tiles in reception at Gibson Street Baths in Newcastle. Photograph: Empty Images – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License

During WWII, the baths’ reservoir served the National Fire Service. In later decades, as private bathrooms and washing machines became widespread, demand for municipal facilities declined, and Gibson Street Baths was eventually adapted for badminton.

Newcastle City Council, which owns the building, put it up for sale in 2016. The move sparked strong public opposition, with local residents campaigning to preserve the baths for community use. Their efforts led to the building being listed as an Asset of Community Value. Though campaigners developed plans for reuse, they couldn’t finalise them within the short six-month window allowed. The site then lingered on the market for two years; in 2018, a potential developer emerged, but no sale was completed.

Today, the baths stand empty, visited only occasionally by urban explorers, while the building visibly deteriorates. The Victorian Society is urging Newcastle City Council to seek a sensitive new use for this much-loved historic building. Given the absence of a buyer, the Society recommends renewed collaboration with the community – offering support and extended time to develop a viable reuse proposal that preserves this valuable part of the city’s social and architectural heritage.

Gibson Street Baths, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Photograph: Graham Tyrrell.

The full Top Ten Endangered Buildings list 2025 of Victorian and Edwardian buildings, and the archive of our previous Top Ten lists can be viewed here.

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Former Methodist Central Hall, on Corporation Street in Birmingham. Photograph: Tim Bridges.

Grade II*, Ewen & J. Alfred Harper, 1900 – 1903

The Victorian Society has placed this landmark Grade II*-listed Birmingham building on its Top Ten Endangered Buildings List 2025.

Griff Rhys Jones OBE, Victorian Society President, said: ‘Echoing its name, a central fixture of a great city with a recent history of success that must be freshly minted in a lot of people’s minds, the old “Que” needs a new life. It would be inconceivable to lose this treasured house of good repute. It needs friends and it needs some noise. Let interested parties know that it needs some new ideas and dynamic thinking.’

Victorian Britain was gripped by a desire to steer the urban working class away from alcohol. One of its boldest responses was the construction of Methodist Central Halls – imposing venues where concerts, films, comedy, hymns, and prayers provided an alternative to the pub. Around 100 were built between 1886 and 1945 in cities across the UK. On Saturday nights, thousands flocked to these halls; at the evening’s close, many were asked to sign a temperance pledge.

Topping out ceremony at Methodist Central Hall in 1903. Photo credit: Birmingham Music Archive.

Birmingham’s Methodist Central Hall epitomises this social mission. Built to replace a smaller 1,100-seat predecessor on Corporation Street by Osborn & Reading, the new building opened in 1903 with a 2,000-seat main hall and 30 additional rooms, including three school halls. It was a purpose-built community powerhouse designed for both worship and outreach.

Central Hall gathering. Date unknown. Photograph: Birmingham Music Archive

Its grand architecture reflects its significance. The red brick and terracotta construction echoed the nearby Victoria Law Courts by Aston Webb & Ingress Bell. The decorative terracotta, crafted by Gibbs & Canning of Staffordshire, also graces major national landmarks like Manchester Town Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, and the Natural History Museum. Its spandrels depict allegories of Methodist teaching, while panels flanking the porch illustrate scenes from John Wesley’s life. Topped by a striking slender tower, the Central Hall remains a Birmingham landmark.

Methodist Central Hall Birmingham. Photograph: Tim Bridges.

By the late 20th century, however, religious attendance was in decline, and the building took on a new life. Purchased in 1989 by Rod Stewart’s former manager Billy Gaff, it became The Que Club, a music venue that still shared space with Methodist worship. Hosting legends like David Bowie, Daft Punk, Blur, and Massive Attack, it became a haven for alternative culture. It was central to Britain’s rave scene, hosting nights such as Atomic Jam and House of God, reverberating with techno, jungle, and Britpop. BBC Radio 1 held live Essential Mix nights here, and photographer Terence Donovan’s 1996 images of the Que Club later went on display.

Flashback © Jon Bryant courtesy of Birmingham Music Archive.

The venue closed in 2017, and the building – once vibrant with life – slipped into decline. A 2022 exhibition at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, curated by Birmingham Music Archive, celebrated the Que Club’s legacy (including the images viewed here), but by then the Central Hall had already appeared on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register.

Drop Beats Not Bombs © David Whittall – Birmingham Music Archive.

That same year, developers Press Up Hospitality and Oakmount received planning permission to convert it into ‘The Dean’, a 155-room hotel. However, the project stalled and receivers were appointed. Now, Methodist Central Hall is back on the market via Savills. One of Birmingham’s most impressive buildings is deteriorating, its rich history steadily overtaken by buddleia, its future uncertain.

The full Top Ten Endangered Buildings list 2025 of Victorian and Edwardian buildings, and the archive of our previous Top Ten lists can be viewed here.

Entrance to the former Methodist Central Hall in Birmingham with Buddleia taking over. Photograph: Tim Bridges.

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Aldermaston Court, Berkshire. Photograph: Trevor Bishenden

Aldermaston Court, Aldermaston, Berkshire.

Grade II*, P C Hardwick, 1848-51, Brightwen & Binyon, 1894

The Victorian Society has placed rambling mansion Aldermaston Court on its Top Ten Endangered Buildings 2025 list.

Griff Rhys Jones OBE, Victorian Society President, said: ‘Aldermaston Court is right in the middle of the prosperous South of England. How can it be in trouble? It has had an extraordinary past, with even Britain’s Atomic research being centred there once, but look at it. It remains a glorious and distinguished building ripe for repurposing and recycling. This is yet another story of owners who appear to be paralysed by what they have. Now, surely, they could get off this site couldn’t they? Sell it and give it the chance to live again. A lengthy period of inactivity is dangerous for the building and wholly unnecessary.’

Grade II* Aldermaston Court, now closely associated with Britain’s nuclear history, has a far older and richer past. The estate’s origins trace back to 1299, though the current Victorian house, built in a Tudor revival style, replaced a Jacobean mansion of 1636, itself successor to an earlier medieval manor. The 19th-century house is romantic and rambling, and incorporates features of its Jacobean predecessor, including an ornate staircase, stained glass, and chimney stacks. Set within 17th- and 18th-century pleasure grounds on a plateau overlooking a lake and the Kennet Valley, the site retains significant historic landscaping.

Original ornate Jacobean staircase and stained glass at Aldermaston Court, Berkshire. Photograph: Trevor Bishenden

The Victorian house was commissioned by Daniel Higford Davall Burr, an eccentric figure known for keeping exotic pets, including snakes and monkeys, and was designed by architect Philip Charles Hardwick. Hardwick, part of a celebrated architectural dynasty, drew upon his work on London’s Inns of Court for inspiration. Best known for designing the Great Hall of Euston Station, demolished in 1962, Hardwick again brings a genuine sense of grandeur to Aldermaston Court.

In 1893, the estate passed to Charles Edward Keyser, a stockbroker, antiquarian, and authority on medieval church architecture. Following Keyser’s tenure, the estate was broken up in the 1930s, never to be reassembled. Associated Electrical Industries (AEI) acquired the house and surrounding parkland, installing an airfield that served key wartime roles. During WWII, Aldermaston Court became a barracks for the Women’s Land Army and the USAAF HQ XIX Tactical Air Command, complete with anti-aircraft batteries.

Aldermaston Court, seen here in c.1944, was the scene of the birth, infancy, and early maturity of the US Army Airforce XIX Tactical Air Command. It was here that many of the now-routine aspects of close air cooperation were first pioneered during WWII. Photograph: Carl E. Bailey, Historian of the US Air Force Historical Research Agency Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Postwar, AEI adapted the site for scientific research, constructing the MERLIN reactor – Britain’s first commercial scientific reactor – opened by Prince Philip in 1959. Meanwhile, the adjacent airfield evolved into the UK’s Atomic Weapons Research Establishment, later the Atomic Weapons Establishment, central to Britain’s nuclear programme. Aldermaston became a symbolic focus for anti-nuclear marches in 1958, 1972, 2004, and 2008.

Marchers outside the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Aldermaston in 1958 Photograph: CND https://cnduk.org/peoples-history-of-cnd-easter-marches-to-aldermaston-1958-60/

March to London from Aldermaston anti nuclear weapons protest rally in London’s Trafalgar Square circa 1959
Robert Joyce papers 1952 1973 Historical Collections and Labor Archives Special Collections Library University Libraries, Pennsylvania State University licensed CC BY NC SA 2.0

The house transitioned into a school in the 1960s and later, under Blue Circle Industries, into a hotel and conference centre during the 1980s. Large office buildings, including award-winning Portland House, were added. Holaw Ltd acquired the property in 1997, but after its 2012 insolvency, the house was abandoned, leaving it vulnerable to decay. Public access to the parkland was curtailed, cutting local people off from the landscape they once enjoyed.

Hallway at Aldermaston Court. Photo credit: Trevor Bishenden

Aldermaston Court has languished on the market for years. The Victorian Society urges the Council and Government to work collaboratively with the owner to secure a sustainable, sensitive future for this nationally significant, increasingly at-risk building.

James Hughes, Director of the Victorian Society, said: ‘Aldermaston Court is a remarkable building with a lofty historical and architectural legacy. From its medieval roots to its role in Britain’s nuclear history, this estate has shaped and reflected our past in profound ways. It must not be allowed to deteriorate further. The Victorian Society urges all stakeholders, including the local council and government, to collaborate on finding a sustainable and appropriate future for this remarkable building and site.’

Facade Aldermaston Court. Photo credit: Trevor Bishenden

The full Top Ten Endangered Buildings list 2025 of Victorian and Edwardian buildings, and the archive of our previous Top Ten lists can be viewed here.

View from window at Aldermaston Court. Photograph: Trevor Bishenden

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Torquay Pavilion Photograph: Morgan Ellis Leigh

Torquay Pavilion, Torquay, Devon. Grade II, Architect: Edward Richards, 1911 & H.A. Garrett

The exquisite Edwardian, art nouveau building that was once the centre of Torquay’s cultural life has been included on this year’s Top Ten Endangered Buildings List by the Victorian Society.

Griff Rhys Jones OBE, Victorian Society President said: ‘This is nothing short of a national treasure. We will never see its like again. Fantastical and charming and the delightful heart of Torquay itself. It’s good news that the former owners have abandoned their inappropriate plans and it is back in the hands of the council. Now funding and general local support is essential. Twenty-five years ago, I helped raise £25m for the Hackney Empire – another people’s palace dating from that era. It can be done. Come on Torquay. Get behind your jewel box of a venue.’

The Grade II listed pavilion was a favourite of Agatha Christie née Miller, who was born in Torquay in 1890 – who attended a Wagner concert there in 1914 the day she received a marriage proposal from Archie Christie. Originally a concert hall then a theatre, a skating rink and then a 1980s shopping arcade, the pavilion’s fate has mirrored the fashions and fate of the UK holiday trade. The venue played host to many famous names from Anna Pavlova, Rachmaninoff, Paul Robeson, Dame Nellie Melba, Sir Donald Wolfit, George Formby, Laurence Olivier, Dame Shirley Bassey and Harold Pinter, who wrote The Caretaker whilst playing the theatre. Speakers included Lady Randolph Churchill, politician David Lloyd George, aviator Alan Cobham and polar explorer Roald Amundsen.

Interior of the Torquay Pavilion. Historic photo courtesy and copyright Torquay Museum.

Built at a time when Torquay claimed to be the “richest town in Britain” the Pavilion is described in the official listing as “exuberant” and is a unique art nouveau Edwardian building. Traditionally, pavilions were located at the end of piers in seaside towns, but Torquay’s is unusual as it was built on land reclaimed from the sea. It is now in the heart of the Torquay Harbour Conservation Area facing gardens on two sides with the harbour on the other two sides. One of only seven buildings in the country to be clad with Doulton Carrara marble tiles in gleaming cream and green glazed finish. The entrance is flanked by turrets with pointed copper domes topped with statues of Mercury with a crowning statue of Britannia on the nave dome. The Pavilion is claimed to be the first building in the South West to be constructed with a steel frame, reflecting Victorian and Edwardian engineering skills.

Exterior of the Torquay Pavilion. Historic photo courtesy and copyright Torquay Museum.

Despite its early success, the Pavilion’s fortunes waned after its orchestra disbanded in 1953. Its final stage performance was in 1976. Though it was saved from demolition and briefly revived as an ice rink (1979–83), and later restored as a shopping mall (reopened 1987), its decline resumed. In 2013, Marina Developments Ltd., leasing the Pavilion from Torbay Council, announced its closure and proposed redeveloping it into a hotel-spa complex. However, plans including an 11-storey apartment block were deemed inappropriate and ultimately blocked after a successful legal challenge by local campaigners in 2018.

Meanwhile the steel girders which form its innovative framework have become heavily corroded from salt exposure. The current building shows evidence of water ingress, saturation, cracks, open joints and significant corrosion. Internally there is damage to plasterwork, fabric has been removed and there are signs of corrosion.

Exterior of the Torquay Pavilion 2025. Photograph: Morgan Ellis Leah

In October 2024, Torbay Council regained full control of the Pavilion after six years of limbo. Contractors are expected to begin investigative works in 2025 to inform urgent repairs. While funding from the lease surrender and Town Deal board offers a foundation, there remains a multi-million-pound shortfall for a full restoration.

Campaigners are yet to see a restoration timetable or phased schedule of works and, despite the transferal of ownership, basic protections like the covering of all windows from the exterior remain unactioned. Thus, the building remains at critical risk. Restoration will require a serious injection of funds – likely combining public money with a dedicated fundraising campaign. Without immediate action, this rare and treasured piece of Torquay’s cultural and architectural history faces irreversible loss.

James Hughes, Director, The Victorian Society said: ‘The Pavilion is a highly significant piece of British seaside heritage – bold, beautiful, and now precariously at risk. Torquay must seize this perhaps final chance to save its crown jewel.’

The full Top Ten Endangered Buildings list 2025 of Victorian and Edwardian buildings, and the archive of our previous Top Ten lists can be viewed here.

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The Former Marine Hotel on Penarth dockside. Photograph: Morgan Ellis Leah.

The former Marine Hotel in Penarth, South Glamorgan in South Wales, is on the Victorian Society’s Top Ten Endangered Buildings list 2025.

Tragically, the Grade II listed Marine Hotel, dating from c.1865, has stood vacant and decaying since the early 1980s – over 40 years of dereliction.

Griff Rhys Jones, Victorian Society President said: ‘What? In posh and sought-after Penarth? This handsome hotel seeks care and attention? After failed schemes and stop-start suggestions, buildings do start to look tired, and developers start looking for excuses, but some enterprise must surely recognise the value in this elegant building and its amenities. A classic case of added value in the heritage building itself, with history and glamour thrown in. We are pleased to help advertise its availability for a sensitive restoration to its former glory.’

Without the construction of its docks in 1865, there would be no Penarth. At their peak, the docks exported over three million tons of coal annually, fuelling the Victorian town’s rapid expansion and prosperity. Alongside its industrial importance, Penarth flourished as a seaside resort, drawing Victorian holidaymakers- a legacy the town continues to enjoy today.

Built at the same time as the docks, the Marine Hotel and adjoining Customs Office, formed part of the Mercantile Marine Offices. Likely constructed by the Taff Vale Railway – its monogram still visible – the Marine Hotel was among several grand establishments serving dock workers and tourists alike. These included the Esplanade Hotel, Royal Hotel, Washington Hotel, Glendale, and Lansdowne. Today, only the Glendale and a few small bed and breakfasts remain.

The Marine Hotel played a pivotal role in the town’s industrial and social history and likely served in WWII when the docks became an American naval base supporting the D-Day landings. Following the war, the Mercantile Marine buildings were probably converted to residential use. Tragically, the Grade II listed Marine Hotel has stood vacant and decaying since the early 1980s – over 40 years of dereliction.

In 1987, the disused docklands were transformed into Penarth Marina. The redevelopment included dredging No. 1 Dock and the outer basin to create 350 yacht berths, surrounded by contemporary homes and marine businesses. The former Customs House became a thriving restaurant. Only the Marine Hotel remains derelict, its boarded façade standing in sharp contrast to its revitalised surroundings.

The marina was a catalyst for the wider redevelopment of Cardiff Bay, and in 2001, local restaurateur Martin Martinez opened the adjacent Old Custom House restaurant. In 2015, the Martinez family proposed a £6 million restoration of the Marine Hotel into a boutique hotel featuring 55 four-star rooms and a 100-seat cafeteria-wine bar. The scheme, which would have created 50 jobs and overlooked the marina, lapsed in 2017 due to funding issues.

Nine years on, with no redevelopment realised, the Marine Hotel has now been placed on the market for £2.25 million. Situated in one of the most affluent areas of the Vale of Glamorgan – where property prices remain buoyant – this may be the final opportunity to restore a vital piece of Penarth’s maritime and architectural heritage.

James Hughes, Director, The Victorian Society said: ‘The Marine Hotel is an irreplaceable link to Penarth’s proud dockside past. After four decades of decay, this sale is a last chance to bring the building back from the brink and give it the future it deserves.’

Former Marine Hotel Penarth next to the restored Customs House on the right. These buildings formed part of the Mercantile Marine Offices on the dockside. Photograph: Morgan Ellis Leigh.

The full Top Ten Endangered Buildings list 2025 of Victorian and Edwardian buildings, and the archive of our previous Top Ten lists can be viewed here.

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Birley Spa in Sheffield. Exterior of building. Photograph: Nigel Slack.

Birley Spa, Hackenthorpe, Sheffield, South Yorkshire.  Grade II, 1842 -1843

Griff Rhys Jones OBE, Victorian Society President said: ‘It doesn’t take much imagination to see that Birley could so easily be a fascinating attraction and a destination again. I love it. After years of dithering, it has recently been pointed out that the structure is still sound. Does Sheffield have the will to see this one through? Time and time again, it has been shown that good, committed, strong local support and lots of friends can really make a difference and revive the fortunes of a place like this. I hope this can be the case here.’

Grade II Birley Spa, the last remaining Victorian bath house in South Yorkshire, still set within its original grounds, is a unique and little-known gem in Sheffield’s heritage. While neighbouring Buxton is renowned for its spa legacy, Sheffield’s own history of therapeutic bathing is often overlooked. Set amidst lush woodland and a lake, the bath house contains a natural spring and is steeped in centuries of healing tradition. Though local legend suggests Roman origins, the earliest documentary reference appears in 1734, when Dr Thomas Short mentioned the site in his Mineral Waters of England.

Birley Spa, front with staff and children. Historic photo credit: Birley Spa Preservation Trust

In 1843, the second Earl Manvers, Lord of the Manor of Beighton, opened the current Victorian spa complex – a small bath house and hotel – as a speculative public venture. An opening advertisement promised comfort to those suffering from ailments such as rheumatism, gout, and lumbago, who no longer needed to journey to Buxton. The facilities included a marble bath, tepid bath, shower bath, and both male and female plunge baths. The spa welcomed both the wealthy – such as the Duke of Portland, who arrived by carriage and stayed a week – and the poor, through a Bath Charity. A twice-daily omnibus service connected the spa to Sheffield.

Plunge bath at Birley Spa. Photograph: Nigel Slack

However, the spa’s fortunes waned. By 1878, usage declined and the hotel closed. The marble baths were reportedly removed by the Earl for private use. By 1895, only the large plunge bath remained operational. In the 1920s and ’30s, the grounds were transformed into a popular children’s pleasure park, complete with a boating lake fed by the spring. The site became a bustling destination for family outings and Sunday school trips until the outbreak of WWII, when the grounds were closed and the site entered decades of decline.

Birley Spa, rear with balcony. Historic photo credit: Birley Spa Preservation Trust.

Sheffield Corporation compulsorily purchased the property in the 1950s. In 1961, city architect J.L. Womersley proposed converting the building into flats, preserving the plunge pool. In 1997, architect Peter Pace designed a community-focused restoration, and with National Lottery funding, works were completed in 2002. Despite this investment, lack of continued council support has led to renewed disrepair.

In response, local residents formed the Birley Spa Friends group in 2018, which evolved into the Birley Spa Preservation Trust, a registered charity. Though deeply committed, the Trust lacks tenure and has been unable to prevent further deterioration. A 2021 attempt by Sheffield City Council to declare the building a dangerous structure failed, with an independent surveyor affirming its soundness.

Restoration efforts have been hampered by previous alterations: roof tiles were stripped and replaced with felt, now moss-covered, while original cast iron windows were substituted with poor-quality steel shutters. With access to the upper floor restricted, the building’s full condition remains uncertain. The Trust is now seeking National Lottery Heritage Fund Resilience Funding for up-to-date surveys and repair estimates.

Birley Spa facade. Photograph: Nigel Slack.

The group is determined to restore and reopen Sheffield’s only Victorian plunge pool in its original setting – preserving its heritage, supporting community wellbeing, and protecting local biodiversity. Volunteers continue to maintain the grounds, but without formal backing, Birley Spa remains at real risk of being lost forever.

The lake at Birley Spa. Photograph: Nigel Slack.

James Hughes, Director, The Victorian Society said: ‘Birley Spa is a rare and remarkable survivor of Sheffield’s overlooked spa heritage. Its restoration would not only revive a unique Victorian building, but also reconnect the city with a rich, healing tradition that once served all walks of life.’

The full Top Ten Endangered Buildings list 2025 of Victorian and Edwardian buildings, and the archive of our previous Top Ten lists can be viewed here.

The post Birley Spa the last remaining Victorian bath house in South Yorkshire on Victorian Society’s Top Ten Endangered Buildings 2025 list appeared first on The Victorian Society.

Bosworth Park Water Tower Photograph: Peter Elllis

Bosworth Park Water Tower in Market Bosworth is on the Victorian Society’s Top Ten Endangered Buildings list 2025. The Grade II listed building, by architect Thomas Garner, dates from around 1885. The water tower, and the walled garden it stands in, are in urgent need of restoration.

Griff Rhys Jones OBE, Victorian Society President said: ‘Striking and delightful, and deservedly listed, this little wonder is a gem. Surely the owners should recognise the lovely tower as an adornment to their property, just as the original owners did when they built it. Please secure the fabric quickly, and make new plans to re-use this graceful monument again.’

The striking, two-storey water tower at Bosworth Park, nestled within a walled garden beside the former orangery, is both an architectural gem and a relic of Victorian ingenuity. Originally supplying the grand Bosworth Hall with water drawn from natural springs and distributed by gravity, the tower continues to serve the estate – now a hotel. An undated water system plan shows it fed the kitchen offices, stables, wash house, and WC. Though the once-adjacent greenhouses were lost in the late 20th century, the stone garden doorway endures, standing alongside the enduring tower in the kitchen garden enclosure.

Bosworth Park is steeped in history, located near the site of the Battle of Bosworth – the conflict that ended the Plantagenet dynasty and changed English history. The current hall and gardens were commissioned by Charles Tollemache Scott after his marriage to Lady Agnes Tollemache, heiress to the Earls of Dysart of Ham House, Richmond. Following the estate’s purchase, Scott initiated extensive upgrades to the house, park, and surrounding village.

Architect Thomas Garner, of the renowned Bodley & Garner partnership known for ecclesiastical works, led these enhancements. At Bosworth, Garner designed not only additions to the Hall in the fashionable Queen Anne style, but also estate cottages, model farms, and gate lodges. The water tower and walled gardens are confidently attributed to him by the Victorian Society, making them a rare example of his domestic architecture.

Bosworth Hall was sold in 1913 and came under Leicestershire City Council ownership in 1931. It served as a hospital before the wider grounds became a public country park. In the 1980s, the hall was sold again and transformed into a Britannia budget hotel, conference centre, and wedding venue. However, the walled garden complex, including the water tower, remains unused and neglected – reportedly only serving occasional paintball events. Years of disuse and theft of lead flashings have left the lean-to structures deteriorating.

Now listed Grade II, the water tower and walled garden are in urgent need of restoration. Their historical and architectural significance, coupled with their location within a functioning hotel estate, offers great potential. With vision, they could once again serve the community or be sensitively integrated into the hotel’s future – a fitting revival for a remarkable piece of Bosworth’s legacy.

James Hughes, Director, The Victorian Society said: ’This extraordinary structure deserves more than decay. Bosworth’s water tower is not just a relic – it’s a revival waiting to happen.’

The full Top Ten Endangered Buildings list 2025 of Victorian and Edwardian buildings, and the archive of our previous Top Ten lists can be viewed here.

Bosworth Park Water Tower close up. Photograph: Peter Ellis

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