Historic England celebrates listed places across the south west
Lower Boscaswell Fogou in Cornwall and Cumberland Basin in Bristol are two which have been protected
Last updated 13th Dec 2023
Historic sites which have been protected across the south west are being celebrated.
Many sites across the region have been added to the National Heritage over the last year, with many highlighted in Cornwall, Devon and Bristol.
The round-up includes an extremely rare Iron Age cave known as a fogou in Cornwall which has had its list entry amended with new information to help with its future management.
Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England said: "A range of remarkable historic buildings and sites are added to the List each year and 2023 is no exception. We’ve examined and protected some amazing sites this year, which together give us a window into our rich and varied historic environment.
"Rich and varied historic environment"
"The festive period is a great time to find out more about the historic places all around us. I encourage everyone to explore the heritage on our doorsteps and to add what they discover to our Missing Pieces Project for everyone to see and enjoy."
In total, 227 historic places have been added to the National Heritage List for England in 2023.
Heritage Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said: "The striking range of places listed this year are a vivid demonstration of the richness and variety of our national heritage. The great work done by Historic England will ensure that they are protected for future generations to enjoy – and to learn about the fascinating people and stories connected with them."
In the south west there were 65 decisions made.
In the South West
Lower Boscaswell Fogou, St Just, Cornwall (Scheduled Monument Amendment) is one in Cornwall which has been celebrated.
Fogou is a name derived from the Cornish for cave. Fogous are underground stone-built tunnels up to 30m long and 2m wide, usually with a long passage and sometimes with a chamber and side passages. Their drystone walls were built in a trench, roofed with flat slabs and covered by earth. They were mainly constructed in the early Iron Age (500BC-200BC) and continued to be in use into the Roman period (AD43-AD410). They are extremely rare with the remains of only 15 fogous known to survive in England and all of them are in Cornwall.
They are associated with settlements and were possibly used as a safe refuge or for storing food and valuables. In pre-Roman times, they may have had a religious or ritual significance.
This fogou was first recorded in 1842 and was first scheduled in 1970. Its List entry has been amended to include new information derived from archaeological excavations in the 1950s and 1980s. These provided a better understanding of the extent of the site and its potential relationship with a courtyard-house settlement to the north. The amendment also allowed for the monument to be more clearly mapped to help with its future management.
Cumberland Basin, Bristol (Two listing amendments) is an important part of Bristol’s Floating Harbour with structures built to manage the tidal range of the River Avon - and has also been protected.
Cumberland Basin is part of Bristol’s Floating Harbour, an ambitious early 19th-century engineering scheme designed to secure the port of Bristol’s competitiveness in international trade. The main structures were built using substantial and well-crafted materials to manage the challenging tidal range of the river Avon.
William Jessop, Chief Engineer for the Bristol Dock Company, designed the scheme. It was built between 1803 and 1809 and opened soon afterwards.
The Floating Harbour enabled the docks to operate regardless of the water levels of the tidal River Avon. It reputedly provided Bristol with the largest area of impounded water for shipping in the world. The two entrance locks into the Cumberland Basin from the River Avon – South Entrance Lock and Junction Lock - were the largest structures of their kind yet built.
Historic England reviewed the Cumberland Basin listings for Bristol City Council to help inform the future management of the area.
Cumberland Basin walls and associated features including Junction Lock swing bridge, Bristol (Grade II listing amendment).
Originally listed in 1972, the south Junction Lock is the only intact lock from Jessop’s original scheme. The increasing size of vessels prompted Thomas Howard to enlarge the north entrance lock, and to add to add a new junction lock, in 1863-1873. In addition to the locks, the listing includes basin walls, the mooring bollards, capstans, slipway, and the swing bridge of 1925 by John Lysaght Ltd.
Brunel's south entrance lock and swing bridge, Bristol (Grade II* listing amendment)
The south entrance lock of 1844 to 1849 was the first of Jessop’s locks to be enlarged, to provide better shipping access in the face of competition from Avonmouth Docks. It is a rare non-railway design associated with Brunel. It reflects his pioneering wrought-iron caisson lock design with single-leaf gates to maximise the operating length. The lock and swing bridge were first separately listed at Grade II in 1972 and upgraded to Grade II* in 1994. They are now a single listing.
Across England there have been many listed or scheduled in 2023.
Those include: A carriage wash dating to 1600 believed to be England’s earliest known ‘modern day car wash’ in Hertfordshire; a railway pub built by the Stockton & Darlington Railway which was effectively a prototype for an early railway station; a striking Post-War church designed to reflect an upturned boat in Lancashire; an inventive 1980s giant leisure centre in Yorkshire and a rare purpose-built Arts and Crafts clubhouse at a golf club in Buckinghamshire, linked to winning European 2023 and current Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald, feature in Historic England’s round-up of unusual places listed over the past year.