PRESTON BUS STATION [AND ST. HELENA] ON UK MONUMENT ‘AT RISK’ LIST

www.bbc.co.uk/news, 5^th October 2011

Preston Bus Station may be demolished as part of a redevelopment scheme in the city. The “brutalist” style building, earmarked for demolition, is one of seven monuments being placed on an “at risk” list by the World Monuments Fund (WMF). Its 2012 World Monuments Watch list also includes The Hayward Gallery and Coventry Cathedral.

These latest entries mean the UK now has 30 sites on the WMF’s list. Others include Birmingham Central Library, Quarr Abbey on the Isle of Wight and the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena.

Launched in 1996, the list of monuments at risk is issued every two years and has identified 67 monuments from around the world in its latest report. The WMF has included 688 sites in 132 countries and territories on its nine watch lists so far.

The WMF says its list “seeks to draw international attention as well as local community support for some of the world’s most treasured locations”. It also says that a monument or building’s inclusion on its watch list can be crucial in raising awareness and funds for its preservation.

[For brevity we have omitted information on the UK sites listed]

The report also lists the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena, once home to the French Emperor Napoleon in exile. The WMF notes the island “is not eligible for most conservation funding available in the United Kingdom, even though it is a British Territory”. The watch list adds: “If more resources were made available to the island, the conserved built heritage could be used to bolster the economy through tourism development, especially after the construction of a planned airport.”

WMF chief executive Jonathan Foyle said:

“For a decade and a half, the Watch has reminded us that no country is immune to man-made and natural disasters, and the casual degradations of its built environment. We can never afford to take for granted our irreplaceable and enriching cultural inheritance, but in an age of greater austerity this Watch further reminds to be vigilant, look after and enjoy historic places, many of which we could not afford to build today.”

Our comment

We’re a little disturbed to discover we’re living in a monument . . . but if anyone’s offering funds to help maintain the island’s wonderful collection of historic buildings we’re sure that would be most welcome.