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London is over two thousand years old – and you can trace much of that history in the city’s historic structures. From the 2,000-year-old remains of London Wall and the Tower of London’s White Tower (built in the 11th century) to St Paul’s Cathedral (completed in the 1710s) and the city’s many Victorian buildings, there’s no shortage of very old places to explore.
But some of those structures are in much better nick than others. Every year Historic England reveals its Heritage at Risk Register to spotlight historic treasures that could be lost to neglect, decay and development. The 2026 register was announced on November 5 and revealed that several London sites have been added to the list.
Sixteen London buildings are now considered ‘at risk’ by Historic England. Among those are Kirkaldy’s Testing Works at 99 Southwark Street, which was the world’s earliest purpose-built laboratory for testing commercial materials. Built in the 1870s, the Victorian structure is Grade II* listed but suffering from water penetration and apparently has ‘extensive damp’.
Other newly ‘at risk’ structures are the Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives and House of Reeves in Croydon, a furniture shop. Historic England now has a total of 596 London listings on its Heritage at Risk Register.
But it’s not all bad news. While 16 sites have been added to the register in the last year, 24 have been removed. Those include a Georgian terraced house in Tottenham that has been transformed into artists’ studios run by Lee Alexander McQueen’s Sarabande Foundation and Wanstead Park’s mysterious grotto.
Historic England spent £1.57 million in grants across London for support and repairs to 12 sites on the Heritage at Risk Register during 2025/2026.
London buildings added to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register in 2026
According to the Standard, the following London structures are now ‘at risk’.
- Foreman’s House, College Farm, Finchley
- Coroner’s Court, Lewisham
- Elis David Almshouse, Croydon
- Fulham Palace Chapel
- Fulham Palace South Range
- Gallows Tamkin, Kingston upon Thames
- House of Reeves, Croydon
- King Edward Hall, Finchley
- Kirkaldy's Testing Works, Southwark
- Livesey Hall Boundary Wall, Lewisham
- Former Police Station, Rainham Road South, Dagenham
- Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives
- Former Police Station, Walton Street, Chelsea
- Warren Farm Barn, Chadwell Heath
- 16 Lonsdale Square, Islington
- 68 Silver Street, Enfield
Across England, 197 sites were added to the register and 85 removed. You can check out Historic England’s updated Heritage at Risk Register here.
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