WW1 trenches, shipwrecks and shelters for cab drivers added to National Heritage list
An 18th-century watermill drawn by John Constable is also on there
240 sites across England have been added to the National Heritage List for England this year, including a network of First World War training trenches and two centuries-old shipwrecks.
Two Victorian cabmen’s shelters were also listed at Grade II along with an 18th-century watermill drawn by the famous landscape artist John Constable.
Shipwrecks given highest protection
The two shipwrecks discovered at Shingles Bank off the Isle of Wight, named NW96 and NW68, were dated to the 16th and 17th centuries and have been granted the highest level of protection because of their extreme rarity.
It is thought that NW96 predates 1580 because of a lead ingot cast from a furnace known as a bole which fell out of use around that time.
World War One training trenches in Norfolk
The network of trenches found in Norfolk is also said to be rare in that many other examples have long been filled in.
It was used by the Lovat Scouts, a regiment of the Scottish Highland Yeomanry, which began during the Boer War and fought in Gallipoli in 1915 and later in the Second World War.
Commanded by Lord Lovat, uncle of SAS founder David Stirling, the Scouts pioneered the use of unconventional tactics and are credited with introducing the camouflaged sniper’s ghillie suit into the British Army.
Its soldiers were drawn from among workers of the Scottish Highlands, and Stirling would go on to employ their pioneering tactics against the Nazis and Italians in North Africa.
Shelters for cab drivers still open after more than a century
Among the Grade II listed buildings are two cabmen’s shelters – at Pont Street, Kensington, and Chelsea Embankment.
The shelter at Pont Street, built in 1892, is still open more than a century later selling breakfast and coffee to black cab drivers.
Only 13 of the 61 original shelters in London have survived, with many having been bombed by the Luftwaffe or bulldozed during construction work.
They were the idea of Captain George Armstrong, editor of The Globe newspaper, and gave cabbies with their horse-drawn Hackney carriages somewhere to rest and eat at any time of the day or night without leaving their vehicles unattended.
The Water Mill that inspired artists
In the Lake District, walkers can find a newly listed Grade II watermill on a tributary of the River Derwent near Borrowdale, which was once used to mill corn for the local community in the 18th century.
Built of rubblestone and slate, Coombe Gill Mill was also a source of inspiration for artists, the most famous being John Constable, who sketched a pencil and watercolour picture in 1806 while on a tour of the area.
Though the internal milling machinery has long since disappeared, traces of it can still be seen in the fabric and shape of the building, such as the original plinth which supported the milling equipment and the attached corn drying kiln.
Chief executive of Historic England, Duncan Wilson, said: “The variety of listings this year illustrates the rich diversity of our shared heritage and the importance of everyday places – from an Edwardian bank to a London cab shelter to a 19th-century watermill – that make up the fascinating fabric of our past.
“Places like this help to make us proud of where we live. Listing recognises their value so they are protected for the future and everyone can continue to enjoy them.”