Two historic churches have been added to a list of heritage sites at risk in Birmingham.
The Church of St George, in Edgbaston, which dates back to 1836, and the Roman Catholic Church of St Thomas More, in Sheldon, have been added to the Heritage At Risk Register.
However, it was better news for the brown bear pit at Dudley Zoo, which was built in the 1930s, as it was taken off the annual register published by Government heritage agency Historic England.
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The Church of St George was added to the list because some of its stonework “is in very poor condition” and “in need of urgent repairs”.
St Thomas More is suffering from “slow decay” but has a brighter future after securing a Heritage Lottery Fund Repair Grant.
The pair join dozens of historic buildings in the West Midlands – including the Grade II*-listed Roundhouse in Birmingham – on the list.
The empty Curzon Street Station and the Bishop Latimer Memorial Church of All Saints in Winson Green are also on the list compiled of vulnerable historic properties by experts.
In all, 14 buildings or structures have been removed from the 2014 West Midlands register and seven have been added.
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Dr Sarah Lewis, Heritage at Risk principal for Historic England in the West Midlands, said: “This year’s Register gives us the most complete sense of the state of our region’s heritage yet. It shows that we are making progress, but also that the challenge is still significant.
“We are committed to working with local authorities, civic societies and everyone who is passionate about and values our heritage across England. The very things that help make our region so special, are the things most at risk.
“If they’re lost, then a sense of what makes the West Midlands special is lost too. Together we can safeguard our most precious places and buildings for future generations.”
Dr Lewis said work to save heritage buildings was on target as a third of all sites on the 2010 register have been rescued. That means Historic England has beaten its target of getting 25 per cent off the register over five years.
The Brown Bear Pit at Dudley Zoo is grade II*-listed and was built 1935-7 by architects Lubetkin and Tecton. It has come off the list after Heritage Lottery Funding paid for a masonry repair program and trained two members of zoo staff to carry out conservation repairs when needed.
The other buildings from the West Midlands added to the list this year was a Price and Kensington Teapot factory, built late 18th Century, in Stoke-on-Trent, Motte Castle, in Herefordshire, Hales Hall, in Staffordshire, and Lady Herbert’s Garden Conservation Area and the London Road Conservation Area in Coventry.
Nationally, a Napoleonic watchtower, a 20th century concrete church and the remains of a First World War munitions factory were named among the heritage sites at risk.