Dickens’s chalet and Hastings Castle join at-risk register

Historic England added 197 sites to its Heritage at Risk Register, the official list of threatened heritage, on 5 November, taking its total to 4,991 nationally important entries. The register identifies buildings, parks, battlefields and shipwrecks threatened by decay, neglect or inappropriate development.

Why is Dickens’s chalet at risk?

Historic England’s new additions include the miniature Swiss chalet where Charles Dickens spent the last day of his life. A Christmas gift in 1864, it arrived flat-packed in 94 pieces. Its scale makes it closer to a self-assembly garden room than a conventional cabin.

A theatre carpenter assembled it after Dickens and his house guests failed to do so, and Dickens placed it at the furthest end of the garden at his last home, Gad’s Hill near Rochester in Kent. He reached it through a tunnel he built under the road.

On 9 June 1870, Dickens spent much of the day in the chalet working on The Mystery of Edwin Drood. He returned to Gad’s Hill and died that night, aged 58.

Historic England records that the house, now a school, and the tunnel survive. The chalet moved in the 1960s to the garden of Eastgate House in Rochester. It is now too fragile for public access.

What happened at Hall’s Croft?

Hall’s Croft in Stratford-upon-Avon is a timber-framed building dating from 1613. William Shakespeare’s daughter Susanna and her husband John Hall lived there.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust acquired the building and opened it to the public in 1951, following many uses and residents including the playwright George Bernard Shaw and the bestselling Victorian romantic novelist Marie Corelli.

It had already closed for several years for extensive conservation work (repair and stabilization) when, in October 2025, a car reversed into the facade and caused further serious damage. Playwright Ken Ludwig has donated £1m, but major fundraising is still needed.

Why is Hastings Castle vulnerable?

Historic England’s new additions include Hastings Castle, high on the cliffs above the town. William the Conqueror built it after his victory in the famous battle. It ranks among the first three such sites, and the Bayeux Tapestry depicts it.

The site has a sweeping view across a stretch of coast and a long history, with remains of an Iron Age fort discovered there. Its commanding position leaves the ruins vulnerable to storms and coastal erosion, and urgent works have already sought to stabilize them. Future plans include a new visitor centre and cafe.

Which sites have left the register?

The additions come with better news: Historic England removed 85 sites after solutions were found. They include the storm-lashed Newlyn Harbour in Cornwall and a little hut in Edward Jenner’s Gloucestershire garden, where he performed the first-ever vaccinations in 1796.

Another removal involved two elegant Georgian houses in east London, built around 1715 and Grade II* listed (a protected historic designation). Tottenham Hotspur Football Club supplied an unlikely route back into use.

With help from the Lottery Heritage Fund, the club converted them into artists studios, gallery spaces and a cafe. The Sarabande Foundation, founded by the late fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen, runs the space.

What support is available?

Historic England lists the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund and the Places of Worship Renewal Fund as rescue grants, both funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and administered by Historic England. The Countryside Stewardship Heritage Service is also available.

Can partnerships turn risk into repair?

Heritage minister Baroness Twycross said the register has a crucial role in identifying historic places in need of support. She said: “Every part of the UK is bursting with history, so it is vital we protect the heritage sites at the heart of communities which help tell the stories of our nation.”

Claudia Kenyatta and Emma Squire, the joint chief executives of Historic England, said bringing sites back into use was the most effective protection. They said: “The sites saved and removed from the Register this year show what can be achieved when partners and communities work together to deliver positive lasting change.”

The next test is practical: whether conservation, new uses and targeted grants can move Hall’s Croft, Hastings Castle and Dickens’s chalet back toward safety.