Heritage at risk

But there are many other sites which have played a key part in our history, most particularly those which made the country the powerhouse of the world.

Constructed as a means of making money, these monuments were also statements of towering confidence by the country’s business elite.

But as a report warns today, historic industrial sites are more at risk than almost any other kind of heritage, with one in nine listed buildings at risk of neglect, decay or even demolition.

Yorkshire’s at-risk sites include lead mines in North Yorkshire, a metal-working complex in Sheffield and the country’s highest number of textile mills.

Rightly, English Heritage describes it as the “world’s most important” industrial legacy as it announces plans for new partnerships with developers to put at-risk sites to sustainable new uses. It is a sad irony they are now in danger due to the country’s parlous finances, but these echoes of our past glories must be preserved for future generations to enjoy.