Hundreds of Telford landmarks to be catalogued in bid to celebrate best of town

Telford & Wrekin Council is set to begin a process to celebrate heritage interest buildings – with the current list of 500 having not been updated since the 1980s.

Examples of the heritage jewels in the Telford crown put forward by the authority are the Engine Houses of the Muxton Bridge Colliery in Granville Park and The Duke of Sutherland Cottages at Muxton.

The authority says it wants to get a comprehensive list of the buildings and assets that play a key part in attracting tourists and visitors to the town.

A report from Penny McKnight, built heritage specialist at the council, said the area had a huge amount to be proud of.

She said: "Telford & Wrekin has a proud and varied heritage with a wealth of local as well as nationally important assets from medieval market towns to a rich agricultural and industrial heritage.

"While the Ironbridge is internationally renowned this sits alongside buildings, monuments, structures and landscapes which hold local historical significance for the communities that make up our borough.

"The Duke of Sutherland Cottages at Muxton, Wellington Cottage Hospital, the Engine Houses of the Muxton Bridge Colliery in Granville Park and many Methodist Chapels in rural locations are amongst just a few of the many buildings which are valued by local communities and contribute to the character and distinctiveness of local areas. These assets are also an important part of attracting visitors and new residents to the borough."

The previous list of local interest buildings was dominated by the Ironbridge Gorge, which was home to 174 of the 548 catalogued.

Preserved and promoted

The council wants to ensure that the some of the borough's most important heritage is recorded, which could help with its promotion as a destination to visit.

Ms McKnight said: "2018 marked the celebration of Telford’s 50th birthday but the borough has a long and significant local and international heritage that extends back centuries and is an important part of the area and its individual communities, sense of place.

"Alongside the internationally renowned Ironbridge World Heritage Site are historical settlements like Wellington, Dawley, Edgmond, Newport and Admaston and numerous individual historic buildings including farmsteads, chapels, schools, war memorials and cinemas.

"As well as the historical value such assets and places hold they provide opportunities for local celebration and for their stories to be retold, preserved and promoted."

A three-fold criteria is put forward for inclusion. The first is 'completeness' with buildings required to retain a significant and recognisable amount of their original form.

They must also have heritage asset values with significance in architectural, artistic, historic and archaeological interest terms, and local heritage values.

The report adds: "These criteria are designed to identify those buildings that are of particular value to the local community and/or contribute to the distinctive character of Telford and Wrekin: social or community interest, group value, landscape or streetscape value, and Telford and Wrekin identity."

If councillors vote to approve the plan at the cabinet meeting on Thursday, October 10, then consultation will take place on the criteria, and then the public will be asked to nominate buildings to add or remove from the list.