Government heritage agency Historic England has highlighted 19 of the most remarkable buildings and places given new or updated listed status this year – from a neolithic burial mound in the Yorkshire Dales to Second World War “dragon’s teeth” anti-tank defences in Surrey. So-called dragon’s teeth in Thorneycroft Wood, Guilford, Surrey, are now protected (Historic England Archive/PA)Buildings protected in 2025 include the post-war Renold Building at the University of Manchester, a gothic-style private Catholic chapel in Herefordshire, and a former Victorian ironmongers specialising in Norwegian ice skates. They are joined by more unusual sites including Victorian guide posts to help early motorists in Cheshire, and coal duty boundary posts in Essex linked to a tax on coal to fund London’s development after the Great Fire in 1666. A rare working smock mill in Kent, Draper’s Windmill, has been upgraded from Grade II to the higher Grade II* listing. “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.

Source: The Times December 11, 2025 06:12 UTC