Heritage At Risk 2009

The latest annual Heritage at Risk Register, published earlier this week, contains details of the declining condition of 3,535 scheduled monuments from all over the country, from WW1 artillery buildings on the Northumberland coast and Bronze Age barrows in Dorset to the ruins of a Tudor water conduit in Greenwich (see picture).

Those sites deemed to be “at risk” represent 18% of all scheduled monuments. This compares unfavourably to the statistic that only 3.1% of Grade I and Grade II* listed (legally protected) buildings are at risk.

Processes such as ploughing, plant growth, pressure from development and general neglect all contribute to the deterioration of scheduled ancient monuments.

Dr Vince Holyoak, Senior Policy Adviser for English Heritage, offered an explanation for the different fortunes of historic buildings compared to those of ancient monuments:

Archaeological sites do not, even in more prosperous times, generate an income. Their importance as part of our heritage is nevertheless immeasurable, and their urgent needs must not be ignored.

Upon reading the new At Risk Register, CBA Director Mike Heyworth said:

These figures are alarming. They show that there is still much work to be done with farmers, landowners and local authorities to prevent ongoing damage to our historic environment. In moving to a more sustainable way of life we should ensure that the economic, environmental and social benefits of the historic environment are recognised and appreciated. The CBA continues to encourage local communities to become actively engaged with heritage conservation to monitor and prevent threats to key archaeological sites and landscapes in their area. Archaeology Scotland’s Adopt-a-Monument scheme is just one of many initiatives across the UK which we wish to promote more widely to remove sites from the At Risk Register in future years.