As 2025 draws to a close, Historic England is celebrating 19 remarkable and unusual historic buildings and places that have been granted protection in England over the past year.
The protected sites range from a Neolithic burial mound dating to 3400 BC in the Yorkshire Dales to an exceptionally rare shipwreck lost in 1903 known as the Pin Wreck in Dorset, to ‘Dragon’s Teeth’ Second World War anti-tank defences in Surrey, to rare dockside equipment in Greenwich linked to major technological advances in undersea telecommunications which laid the foundations for today’s subsea optical cables that transmit internet traffic worldwide.
Newly listed historic gems added to the National Heritage List for England also include: the post-war dazzling Renold Building at the University of Manchester, Arts and Crafts gardens – one with a playful gnome garden in North Yorkshire; a school recognised for its neoclassical design in Birmingham and Adams Heritage Centre – a former Victorian ironmongers, time capsule of local trade and specialist in Norwegian ice skates.
Image: Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, Liverpool
They are joined by Victorian guide posts to help drivers in Cheshire, coal duty boundary posts in Essex – a tax on coal to help fund London's development after the Great Fire of London in 1666, a gothic style Garden Chapel in the Midlands, a tin tabernacle church in Essex and the concrete 1980s workshop of architect Sir David Chipperfield.
Bude Storm Tower, affectionately known as ’the Pepperpot’ in Cornwall has had its list entry updated after being moved for a second time in its history due to coastal erosion; radical Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral has been upgraded from Grade II* to Grade I and Draper’s Windmill, a rare working smock mill in Kent, has been upgraded from grade II to grade II* - the second highest grade.
Claudia Kenyatta and Emma Squire, Co-CEOs of Historic England, said: "These newly protected places demonstrate the remarkable diversity of England's heritage. They connect us to the people and events that shaped our communities. From ancient burial sites to shipwrecks and wartime defences to post-modernist buildings, street furniture and Arts and Crafts gardens, these sites reveal the fascinating history that surrounds us all.”
Heritage Minister Baroness Twycross said: “Britain’s heritage is as varied as it is brilliant, with each of these buildings playing a part in shaping our national story over the centuries.
This year alone we have protected 199 heritage sites, from neolithic cairns in the Yorkshire Dales to the fabulous Catholic Cathedrals in the heart of Liverpool. I’m proud that we’re safeguarding our rich history so future generations can continue to enjoy it."
In total, 199 sites were added to the National Heritage List for England in 2025 (The List), comprising 173 listings, 21 scheduled monuments and five parks and gardens. A further 129 amendments were made to existing listings. The List is the official register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in England.
