In 2017 Historic England added 1,041 sites to the National Heritage List for England
The National Heritage List for England identifies the buildings, sites and landscapes which receive special protection, so they can be enjoyed by current and future generations.The following twelve buildings, landscapes and monuments offer a glimpse of the depth and breadth of England's historic environment given recognition for their special significance in 2017.
The Dorset Martyrs Memorial, Dorchester, Dorset
This memorial sculpture marks the site of the former gallows in Dorchester. Roman Catholic martyrs were hanged here in the 16th and 17th centuries. Sculptor Dame Elisabeth Frink, who was herself a Catholic and lived in Dorset, was approached to design a memorial. Unveiled in 1986, it features three larger than life figures on a circle of stone setts. A bronze plaque at its centre is inscribed 'FOR CHRIST AND CONSCIENCE SAKE'. (Listed Grade II. List Entry Number: 1439805)
Gravestone of Blackie the war horse, Halewood, Knowsley
During the First World War over eight million horses were killed by enemy action, disease or starvation. Blackie served on the Western Front, participating in battles at Ypres (where he was wounded), Arras, the Somme and Cambrai. He was one of only a small number of horses to be brought back to England after the war. He then served at the Territorial Riding School in Liverpool before retiring to the Horses' Rest, where he is buried with his master's medals. (Listed Grade II. List Entry Number: 1436263)
Chrisp Street Market Clock Tower, Poplar, Greater London
This snazzy landmark and icon of 'Festival style' was designed by Frederick Gibberd as part of Chrisp Street Market, England's first pedestrianised shopping precinct. The market was the commercial heart of the new Lansbury estate and the centre of the Live Architecture Exhibition of the Festival of Britain in 1951. At a time of austerity and strict building restrictions, the clock tower was a symbol of civic pride and urban renewal for this part of war-damaged London. (Listed Grade II. List Entry Number: 1450866)
Skegness Esplanade and Tower Gardens, Skegness, Lincolnshire
Skegness Tower Gardens (formerly Pleasure Gardens) was part of the new town plans of 1868. Esplanade Gardens dates from 1922. The original design and layout survive for both at this popular seaside resort. Formed on what were formerly sand dunes, the gardens include bridges, sunken formal gardens, pavilions, bowling greens and mock castles, linked by water features. Despite some losses, the majority of the elements have survived and the overall layout remains clearly legible. (Registered Park and Garden Grade II. List Entry Number: 1443891)
Accoustic Mirrors, Fan Bay, St Margaret's at Cliffe, Kent
The threat of aerial warfare in the 20th century provoked new systems of strategic air defence. Acoustic mirrors reflected the sound of distant aircraft onto a focal point where it was detected. The examples at Fan Bay are unusual as they are carved from the cliff face. The eastern mirror is one of the earliest, dating from about 1916. A second mirror dates from the early 1920s. The development of radar in the 1930s rendered sound mirrors obsolete. (Scheduled Monument. List Entry Number: 1442235)
Isle of Dogs Pumping Station, Tower Hamlets, Greater London
This storm water pumping station was built in 1986-8 by John Outram Associates for the London Docklands Development Corporation and Thames Water. It has been recognised for its creative design, its high-quality craftsmanship and construction, and because it has been little altered since it was first built. It is one of only seven surviving works in Britain by Outram, an important architect of considerable renown. (Listed Grade II*. List Entry Number: 1447069)
Sir Thomas White Building, St John's College, Oxford, Oxfordshire
The growth in numbers of university students in the 1960s meant that additional accommodation was needed. Philip Dowson at Arup Associates won a competition for the design of a hall of residence at St John's College, Oxford in 1967. Dowson incorporated design features to counter potential loneliness, including projecting bedroom windows to allow glimpses between rooms, and sliding lattice screens for privacy. (Listed Grade II. List Entry Number: 1439624)
Alchester Roman Parade Ground, Merton, Oxfordshire
The site of the Roman town of Alchester, founded in the mid-1st century AD, was scheduled as an ancient monument in 1984. Further survey identified crop marks beyond the town as a parade ground and access camp. This is a very rare type of site in Britain and may be one of the earliest examples in the Roman Empire. (Scheduled Monument. List Entry Number: 1443650)
Japanese Garden at Grantley Hall, Ripon, North Yorkshire
Interest in Japanese-influenced gardens developed from the late Victorian period and became highly fashionable following a major exhibition in the summer of 1910 at White City, London. Around this time, land at Grantley Hall was converted into an intricate area of rocky canyons, woodland dells and water features. The garden follows authentic Japanese design principles and includes informal paths designed for contemplative walks. (Registered Park and Garden Grade II. List Entry Number: 1442593)
Gasholder No. 13, Old Kent Road, Southwark, Greater London
This gasholder, at the former gasworks in Old Kent Road, was built in 1879-81 by the engineer George Livesey and contractors Ashmore & While for the South Metropolitan Gas Company. When built it was the largest gasholder in the world. It was a pioneering structure, built to a new concept that meant the gasholder had to be built tier-by-tier. The wrought-iron standards were exceptionally thin, the bell used mild-steel for the first time and the tank was one of the deepest ever built. It was at the forefront of technology and was influential throughout the world. (Listed Grade II. List Entry Number: 1446329)
Jewish Burial Ground, The Barbican, Plymouth, Devon
By 1745 there were sufficient numbers in the Jewish community to allow regular religious services to be held in Plymouth. In about 1740 Sarah Sherrenbeck allowed a burial in her garden. The ground was expanded in 1752 and again in 1811. In all, some 256 tombstones were raised between 1740 and the 1870s. The walled ground is terraced and tombstones face east, and mostly include Hebrew script. This is the third oldest surviving Jewish cemetery in England and the earliest to survive outside London. (Listed Grade II. List Entry Number: 1448469)
The Humber Bridge, Hessle, East Yorkshire and Barton-upon-Humber, North Lincolnshire
Described as a sublime landmark, this suspension bridge was built for the Humber Bridge Board between 1973 and 1981. When completed, it had the longest single bridge span in the world at 1,410 metres, a record it maintained for another sixteen years. The use of reinforced concrete to construct the towers was the first time that concrete had been used for such a long span suspension bridge. (Listed Grade I. List Entry Number: 1447321)
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