Heritage at Risk in London Revealed

Newington Green Unitarian Church, now known as the Newington Green Meeting House, is London's oldest Nonconformist place of worship still in use and has had connections to political radicalism for over 300 years. The church was built in 1708 and partially rebuilt and enlarged in 1860.

The church’s most famous minister was the political radical Dr Richard Price, and the most famous member of his congregation was Mary Wollstonecraft, who wrote 'A Vindication of the Rights of Woman' (1792), earning her the name 'the Mother of Feminism'. Many others visited Dr Price, including Founding Fathers of the United States Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.

The building has had problems with leaking roofs, damp, and structural movement. The congregation of New Unity carried out a comprehensive project, 'Recovering the Dissenters’ Legacy', which encompassed full repairs to the historic fabric and improved access and facilities. The project was funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and repairs were completed in June 2020.

The Huguenot burial ground in Wandsworth opened in 1687 and was linked to the (now demolished) church used by Huguenot refugees who had settled in the area having fled religious persecution in France for adopting the Protestant faith. French church services were performed at the old Presbyterian Chapel for more than a century after the first Huguenots arrived. The burial ground later became known as ‘Mount Nod’. It was closed to burials in 1854.

Five Grade II listed ‘table tombs’ from the 18th century were added to the Heritage at Risk register in 2012 due to a range of issues, including structural instability, cracking, vegetation damage and delamination of the stone work. Although delayed by Covid-19, repairs were completed this year with the support of Wandsworth Council, specialist advice from Historic England, and the work of skilled conservation experts.

The Mile End Ragged School was opened in 1877 by Dr Barnardo as a free school providing a basic education for poor children in London’s East End. It occupied converted warehouses on the Grand Union Canal, and in its day was the largest ‘ragged school’, with over 1,000 pupils on weekdays and 2,400 for Sunday School. The school closed in 1908, when local government provision became adequate, and the building was used for a time as a factory.

A successful campaign by local residents in the 1980s saved the building from demolition. The Ragged School Museum Trust opened the site as a museum in 1990, aiming to make the history of the ragged schools and the broader social history of the Victorian East End accessible to all.

The Grade II building is underutilised due to the deteriorating condition of the roof, structural issues, and damp problems. The Trust has recently received a grant offer from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a sustainable repair project, which will also provide a refreshed visitor experience, improved education facilities, café/ bar, events space and flexible office facilities.