TWO historic sites in Warwick remain on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register with both in danger of being lost forever.
The Masters House, part of St Michael’s Leper Hospital in Saltisford, and the remains of the Old Castle Bridge, in the shadow of Warwick Castle, are once again included in the 2016 edition of the register.
Both are grade II listed monuments but have been on the national endangered list, published annually by heritage chiefs, for over a decade.
Dating back to the 15th century, the Masters House is a timber framed building built upon 12th century foundations – when the Leper Hospital was founded.
The building has been covered in a tarpaulin and propped up to prevent collapse. Warwick District Council is currently negotiating to try and buy the site.
Spanning the River Avon, the late medieval Old Castle Bridge had seen previous proposals for ‘stablisation’ dismissed as being too costly.
It has previously been proposed ownership should be transferred to a trust which would then co-ordinate funding and restoration – but no progress has been made. A new survey of the condition, and estimated repair costs, has been suggested in a bid to safeguard the future of what remains of the late medieval bridge.
