A ruin in Holyhead has been named on a list of 10 buildings that need "urgent works and a long-term plan" to survive. Soldier's Point House, a Grade II-listed castle-like house on Anglesey, made the Victorian Society's list of the top 10 endangered buildings for 2023 as it is "falling into disrepair."
The house was built in 1849 by Charles Rigby, according to the Victorian Society, and is castellated with barred windows and high 'curtain wall' towers. Charles and his brother Joseph, builders from London, worked on some of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's civil engineering projects.
While at Soldier's Point Rigby worked on a major engineering project in the area, a 2.4km breakwater at Holyhead. He was also a magistrate on Anglesey and commanded the 2nd Anglesey Artillery Volunteers – a group made up of workers from the breakwater who organised to protect the structure.
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The building became a hotel in 1950 but closed in 2000 and plans to turn it into a maritime museum were dashed by a fire in 2011. It has been an empty shell since and the Victorian Society has warned of the problems with its condition.
The society's president Griff Rhys Jones said: "Soldier's Point really needs some love and some help. It’s sad to see this remarkable monument to engineering falling into disrepair.
"It’s not too late. It is a remarkable place. It is surrounded by history and close to a remarkable engineering landmark. Anglesey had such plans for this house as a maritime museum and I really hope that people will be motivated to find a solution to this dereliction."
These are the other buildings selected for the list:
St Andrew’s Church, Temple Grafton, Warwickshire (built 1875)
Office for the Board of Guardians of Walsall Poor Law Union, Walsall (built 1898-1900)
Blackborough House, Kentisbeare, Devon (built 1838)
Rockwell Green Water Tower, Somerset (built 1885)
Trowse Sewage Pumping Station, Norwich (built 1869 and 1909)
The Coach and Horses Hotel, Wallsend (built 1907)
Carlisle Victorian and Turkish Baths (built 1884 and 1909)
The Constitutional Club, Lincoln (built 1895)
Liverpool Street Station and the former Great Eastern Hotel, London
Joe O'Donnell, director of the Victorian Society, said: "Regular, appropriate, maintenance is vital for older buildings. The owners of the buildings on our list should be responsible stewards of these nationally significant buildings. If they can’t or won’t be that they should sell them so someone else can try and secure their futures before it is too late."
The list is based on public nominations and the buildings represent industrial, religious, domestic and civic architecture. Many buildings have a unique history, including an earl's mansion which became a hostel for the homeless and a church where the congregation can't hold services. Eligible buildings must have been built between 1837 and 1914.
