The Church of St Helen in Biscathorpe named one of the country's most endangered Victorian buildings
Though its former village having long since disappeared
The Church of St Helen, Biscathorpe in Lincolnshire has made the list of the Top 10 most endangered buildings in the country, according to the Victorian Society.
The church retains many of its original features including stained glass, pulpit and cast-iron poppy-headed benches.
The windows are filled with diamond leaded panes, mostly of clear glass, though with some coloured borders, and the east window carries a depiction of the Descent from the Cross, after Rubens.
An absence of regular maintenance over a period of years has left the building in desperate need of repair, and the interior is now partially exposed to the elements.
Plaster foliate stops are now falling off, and internally and externally the rendered walls are crumbling. Water ingress is causing significant damage.
The Manor house itself has found new owners, but the farm and thousands of acres of surrounding land are still owned by the Ministry of Defence - which acquired the manor and its estates in 1935.
Griff Rhys Jones said:
“St Helen’s is an exquisite little church nestled amongst trees in the beautiful Lincolnshire Wolds. It is a delicate and fascinating work of architecture and a remarkable survival.
"The church is now closed to regular worship, but given the quality of the building, handing it over to the Churches Conservation Trust or the Friends of Friendless Churches is one obvious option to ensure it is saved.
"Whatever happens, urgent repairs are clearly now required. In the longer term, a sensitive new use for it is needed, one that preserves the lovely and largely intact interior and its original suite of furnishings.”
The Top 10 most endangered Victorian buildings in England and Wales:
Coal Drops, Halifax
Halifax Coal Drops were built for the Ovenden and Halifax Junction Railway Co. in 1874 and are an important part of the town's industrial history.
Horncliffe House, Lancashire
Horncliffe House was originally built in 1869 as a private dwelling for Henry Hoyle Hardman, a local mill owner and businessman,
Healings Flour Mill and Warehouses, Tewkesbury
Healings Flour Mill and Warehouses was designed by W.H. James of Tewkesbury for Samuel Healing and Son and was built circa 1865.
Icknield Street School, Birmingham
The Icknield Street School was designed by J.H. Chamberlain of Martin and Chamberlain in 1883 who created several of Birmingham's now listed or lost Victorian buildings.
Indoor Market, Burslem, Stoke on Trent
Burslem indoor market's gothic design and ironwork that was built in 1897 is reminiscent of King's Cross station in London.
Jones & Higgins Department Store, London
The Jones and Higgins Department store opened on the corner of Rye Lane and Peckham High Street in 1867 and formed a key part of a 'Golden Mile' of shops that rivalled Oxford Street. The clock tower was designed by Southwark architects Henry Jarvis & Sons.
Minley Home Farm, Hampshire
The Minley Home Farm was completed circa 1896 to the designs of Arthur Castings, associate to the renowned George Devey, who worked on other buildings in the estate.
Oldham Equitable Cooperative Society (Hill Stores), Oldham
Oldham Equitable Cooperative Society (Hill Stores) commissioned Thomas Taylor to build what would be one of the largest buildings in the area, it was then completed in 1900.
Church of St Helen, Biscathorpe, Lincolnshire
The Church of St Helen, Biscathorpe was rebuilt on the site of the old church in 1847 by W.A. Nicholson in a fanciful Gothic style.
Whitchurch Hospital, Cardiff
Architects Oatley and Skinner of Bristol designed the hospital with its ornate interiors in 1902. It first opened in 1908 as 'Cardiff Lunatic Asylum', in the typical style for medical facilities.