THE desperate plight of decaying historic buildings in Worcestershire has been laid bare in a heritage at risk register.

However, there is hope as other buildings and archaeological sites, some dating back to Roman and Anglo-Saxon times, have been taken off the list after being restored to their former glory.

From leaking churches to cracked bell towers and from troublesome woodpeckers besieging a turret to a moated manor house in need of some love, the Heritage at Risk Register published today (THURSDAY) reveals those jewels in Worcestershire's crown which are most in need of a proverbial polish.

There are now 52 sites in Worcestershire on the register according to English Heritage with Malvern Hills and Wychavon having seven sites each added to the register this year, mainly churches. This year 20 sites were added in the county while 10 were removed, including two in Worcester. Across the region 69 sites have been added to the register because of concerns about their condition, while 55 have been repaired and removed from the register. Over the year more than £1.4 million has been given in English Heritage grants to help some of the region’s best loved and most important historic sites.

Christ Church, Barnards Green, Malvern has falling tiles has been added as has the church of St Michael, Knighton on Teme where woodpeckers, drawn to the cedar shingles on the bell turret and spire, have left many holes which leak.

The Bell Tower in Market Place, Evesham dating from medieval times and formerly part of Evesham Abbey is now listed as being in a poor condition. The late Gothic building, known for its carved ornamentation, has experienced 'dangerous levels of decay' in the limestone but a a grant for repairs under the Heritage Lottery scheme has been offered. The church of St Andrew in Droitwich has also been added as has the Church of St Michael in Great Witley, known for its baroque interiors. A new entry is the Abbey Church of the Holy Cross in Pershore which is leaking although a grant has been applied for. The church of St Faith in Berrow in Malvern Hills has damp within the walls while the Church of St James in Hartlebury, near Stourport, is letting in water, damaging the plasterwork.

Holy Trinity Church in Worcester Road, Link Top Malvern, has secured an English Heritage/Heritage Lottery grant for Places of Worship with work expected to start this year.

The Church of St Peter in Hinton on the Green is classed as 'very bad' with structural cracks in the tower. No solution has yet been agreed to save it. The Church of St Michael in South Littleton which dates back to 1200 is also in a very bad state as is the Church of St Andrew, Stanford with Orleton in Malvern Hills.

However, other buildings and sites have been removed, including the service wing of Croome Court near Pershore, the Church of the Ascension in Malvern Link, the remains of a Romano-British settlement in Hinton on the Green, Lark Hill in Worcester and the canal in Worcester which have been repaired and restored following grants. An Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Bennett's Hill, Offenham has been removed after improvements were made to site management.

This year's register is the most comprehensive to date, after a thorough review of all listed places of worship in England over the past year. The good news is that 6 per cent of places of worship are ‘at risk’, a lower number than predicted. Of those places of worship considered ‘at risk’, congregations will face a combination of failing roofs, broken gutters and downpipes and damage to high level stonework, huge challenges requiring not only large amounts of funding but determination and know how.

The restoration of Hagley Hall’s stunning Georgian landscape in Worcestershire was a collaboration between the owner, Natural England and English Heritage. The rotunda was derelict and on the ‘at risk’ Register, the lakes were silted up and the cascades had collapsed. Works funded by the Trustees of the Hagley Estate, Natural England and English Heritage have repaired the rotunda and restored the gardens to their former glory. The project, which includes greater public access, has been shortlisted for an English Heritage Angel Award this year.

Sarah Lewis, Heritage at Risk Principal for English Heritage in the West Midlands said: “The enthusiasm and commitment of owners is essential for our heritage. Almost half the sites removed from the register have been saved by owners, from a moated site at Tardebigge in Worcestershire, to Lilleshall park & garden saved by a thorough conservation management plan. Tapping into this will continue to be a core priority for our Heritage at Risk Team in the coming years.”

The next stage of English Heritage’s project to survey Grade II buildings, and see how many are at risk and Worcester will be surveyed. Worcester City Council will be working with local volunteers to visit and assess all their Grade II listed buildings.