A former glassworks which is approaching its 200th birthday has been added to a list of the country's most at-risk buildings.
The Chance Brothers Glassworks, in Smethwick, was built in 1824 and produced glass used in London landmarks the Houses of Parliament, the clock faces of Elizabeth Tower and Crystal Palace.
The Victorian Society, the charity which campaigns for the preservation of Victorian and Edwardian architecture, has added Glassworks to its 2017 Top 10 Endangered Buildings list.
The list, which has been published for the past ten years, recognises the plight of endangered Victorian and Edwardian buildings in England and Wales in the hope that increased publicity will help save them.
Chance Brothers Glassworks, off Spon Lane South and visible from the M5, is Grade II listed and is "arguably one of the most important industrial sites in the West Midlands", according to the society.
The factory produced glass for the great Exhibition in 1851 and some 2,300 Victorian lighthouse lanterns.
The site is designated as a scheduled ancient monument and is therefore recognised by Historic England to be of national significance.
There are eight Victorian Grade II-listed buildings, including the landmark 'Seven Storey' of 1847, but the current poor condition of both the site and listed buildings is reflected in its inclusion by the Government's Historic England body in its own 'Heritage at Risk' Register.
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In 2015, Heritage Lottery Fund on the site to discover more about its impact on the area.
Much of the site is held on a long lease by a skip hire company which The Victorian Society said was a totally unsuitable use for a nationally historic site.
Sandwell Council issued an enforcement notice for breaches of planning control by the company and the firm must leave the site by November 18.
All of the listed buildings are in very poor condition, with one of the listed buildings adjacent to the canal now at risk of collapse.
However, the long-term vision for the site is to bring it back into use with shops, homes and hotel among the ideas mooted.
Tim Bridges, caseworker at The Victorian Society, said: "It is important a more sensitive approach be adopted to preserve the significant heritage of this scheduled ancient monument with its collection of listed buildings.
"This opportunity is offered by Chance's Heritage Trust but the challenges are enormous, time is of the essence and currently the site is extremely vulnerable to ongoing deterioration and neglect, wilful damage and vandalism."
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The other endangered buildings included on the list are:
- Buckley's Brewery Maltings, Llanelli
- Cannington Shaw no.7 Bottle Shop, St Helens
- Chapels at Ince-in-Makerfield, near Wigan
- Feversham Street First School, Bradford
- Fison's Fertiliser Factory, Bramford, Suffolk
- Great Northern Railway Warehouse, Derby
- Leas Pavilion, Folkestone, Kent
- New Tiger's Head, London
- St Andrew's Church, Huddersfield