Listed buildings off 'risk' list

Stainborough Castle had been on the register for several years

Four listed buildings in Yorkshire have been taken off the English Heritage "at risk" register after restoration work was completed.

Among them is Stainborough Castle, the gothic folly on the Wentworth Castle estate near Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

Nether Hall Barn in Huddersfield, Upper Headley Hall Farm near Bradford and Ray Wood Walls, Castle Howard, near Malton, have also been taken off the register.

Wicker Arch, in Sheffield, is one of the country's most at-risk buildings.

English Heritage said the 19th Century railway viaduct needed £1m of repairs because it has suffered from the theft of stone parapets and poor maintenance.

The "spectacular but decaying" Mausoleum at Castle Howard, near Malton, also needs £1m of repairs.

English Heritage said there were 108 grade I and II (star) buildings and scheduled monuments that were still vulnerable to decay in the region.

Poor condition

They include 56 in North Yorkshire, 21 in South Yorkshire and 31 in West Yorkshire. Of these, 19 are judged to be in an extremely poor condition, with no solution yet agreed.

Two new entries have been added this year - the 17th Century gateway to Londesborough Estate in the East Riding of Yorkshire, designed by Robert Hooke, and the 16th Century ruins of Thorpe Salvin Old Hall, Rotherham.

Maddy Jago, from English Heritage, said: "The Buildings at Risk Register was designed as a tool to help monitor progress in protecting the historic environment.

"By that measure, we have come a long way in the Yorkshire and Humber region. Since the 1999 edition, we have removed over half of the original entries by brokering solutions and carefully targeting our own grants.

"But there is still much to be done. We estimate that over 70 of the buildings on the register are capable of beneficial re-use.

"But finding a sustainable solution for others is more difficult. Many of these remain in a poor condition and securing their future remains an important focus of our work."