Suffolk museum saved from Historic England Risk Register
Just over a million pounds worth of funding was saved the site
Suffolk’s Long Shop Museum has been removed from Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register.
The Grade II* listed Long Shop Museum in Leiston has been removed after essential repairs were completed with funding from the Museum Estate and Development Fund (£1 million) and Historic England (£350,000).
The Victorian workshop, built in 1853 as a prototype for assembly line production, reopened to the public in May. Restoration work included replacing the leaking 1970s roof lights, repairing window frames, and redesigning drainage to protect the historic red brick structure.
The Long Shop Museum preserves the industrial legacy of Richard Garrett and Sons, world-famous manufacturers of steam engines and agricultural machinery. The museum’s collections span 200 years of innovation, from simple farming tools to complex steam engines that powered the agricultural revolution.
Founded in 1984, the museum occupies over an acre of historic buildings that survive from the original 19th century Garrett works.
Over the past year, 21 historic buildings and sites in the East of England have been added to the Register because they are at risk of neglect, decay or inappropriate development.
Claudia Kenyatta CBE and Emma Squire CBE, Co-CEOs of Historic England, said: “The heritage we see all around us impacts how we feel about our local places. The annual Heritage at Risk Register gives us the opportunity to celebrate the many benefits of bringing our historic buildings back into use.
“The best way to protect our buildings is to reuse them, turning them into places of local connection and joy. The sites that have been saved and have come off the Register this year really highlight the benefits of working together in partnership, and with communities, to create positive, sustainable change. Together we can safeguard our heritage for future generations.”