Scarborough's South Cliff Gardens removed from the Heritage at Risk Register

The Heritage at Risk Register gives an annual snapshot of the health of England’s valued historic buildings and places.

Over the past year, seven historic buildings and sites have been added to the Register in Yorkshire because they are at risk of neglect, decay or inappropriate development and 13 sites have been saved and their futures secured.

Across the Yorkshire, significant sites added to the Heritage at Risk Register 2023 include the Cannon Hall kitchen garden wall in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

Significant sites saved and removed from the Heritage at Risk Register 2023 in Yorkshire include: Holmfirth Conservation Area, Sheffield General Cemetery and South Cliff Gardens in Scarborough.

Tom Frater, Regional Director for Historic England in the North East and Yorkshire, said: “Protecting our heritage in Yorkshire is so important.

"It is truly inspirational to see communities in the region coming together to save historic places and find new uses for them.

"The Heritage at Risk programme shines a light on our most in-need historic sites, and has a record of attracting funding and practical help.

"After a quarter of a century of the Heritage at Risk Register, we are celebrating the many places that have been saved, as we continue to find new ways to involve local people in caring for and enjoying their heritage."

A number of the sites such as South Cliff Gardens and Sheffield General Cemetery in Yorkshire that have been removed from the Heritage at Risk Register have received crucial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “It is so heartening to see a number of significant heritage sites removed from the Heritage at Risk Register in Yorkshire and given a new lease of life as part of their local communities and places.

"Saving heritage at risk so that it can be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future, is core to our purpose, and we’re incredibly proud that the Heritage Fund has been able to support this important work to make this fantastic news possible.”

Overlooking the North Sea, Scarborough’s Grade II listed South Cliff Gardens comprises a series of coastal paths and ornate gardens, as well as handsome architecture including shelters, summerhouses and the Holbeck Clock Tower.

Developed from the mid-19th century to the 1930s, several notable landscape architects help to shape the gardens including Sir Joseph Paxton who designed the grand Italian Steps, where Victorian ladies and gentlemen would gather for a genteel stroll in their finest attire.

Sadly, coastal erosion and the general deterioration of its condition led to the Gardens’ addition to the Heritage at Risk Register in 2013.

Thanks to the efforts of the Friends of South Cliff Gardens and Scarborough Borough Council (now North Yorkshire Council), together with funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund, the Gardens underwent an extensive two-year £7m restoration project.

Work included the restoration of 14 shelters, Holbeck Clock Tower and the Italian Steps, as well as the creation of a new accessible route through the Gardens.