St marks church, stoney stanton road

Historic England has published its annual list of heritage at risk. There has been no change in the heritage at risk list in Coventry since last year.

Heritage assets in Coventry on the “At Risk” list include three Conservation Areas, one Parks and Gardens, one scheduled Ancient Monument and five listed buildings – one Grade I, three Grade II* and one Grade II listed.

The three conservation areas are:

Lady Herberts Garden Conservation Area – described as £very bad” and “deteriorating significantly”.

London Road Conservation Area – described as “very bad” but “improving”.

Naul’s Mill Conservation Area – described as poor and “deteriorating”

There is one area of Parks and Gardens on the list. Stoney Road Allotments is described as “Generally unsatisfactory with major localised problems“ and “declining”. Work on the restoration of some of the summer houses has recently started at this site.

Listed buildings on the list are:

The Grade 1 listed St. John the Baptist Church. The red sandstone used in its construction is of variable quality and its repair and maintenance is an on-going issue, in particular, the condition of the nave clerestory. Defective transept roof coverings will also require renewal in the future. It is stated that there is slow decay and that a solution has been agreed but not yet implemented.

The Grade II* listed basement of the Old Star Inn in Earl Street is described as Fair, with a solution agreed but not yet implemented. The basement is part of the proposed new Coventry University building that was to replace the old Civic Centre. The new university building is on hold and may not now be completed for many years, if ever.

The Nonconformist Chapel to London Road Cemetery is also listed as Grade II*. Its condition is described as “Fair”. A repair scheme is in progress but not yet complete.

Whitefriars Gatehouse on Much Park Street is another Grade II* building on the “At Risk” list. Its condition is described as “Fair”, following a repair scheme in 2023, but further work is required and an end user has not yet been identified.

St Marks’s Church and boundary walls in Bird Street and Stoney Stanton Road. This is a Grade II listed building. It has a catalogue of building fabric defects that require urgent attention including reroofing works, the renewal of rainwater goods, drainage and assorted high-level masonry repairs.

The only scheduled Ancient Monument on the list is Allesley Castle. This is described as “Generally unsatisfactory with major localised problems” and declining.

The Coventry Society keeps its own register of heritage at risk. In addition to the heritage assets listed on the national list, the Coventry Society also identifies the following buildings as being at risk:

25 Allesley Old Road, topshops (condition not currently known)

Canley Hall, Ivy Farm Lane

Coventry Synagogue, Barras Lane

Whitefriars

Whitley Pumping House

Coventry Swimming Pool

Park Cottage, Stoke Park.

Bird Grove House, George Eliot Road

Former Paris Cinema, Far Gosford Street

Sheep pound (pinfold), Coat of Arms Bridge Road