Ancient buildings owned by Croydon’s cash-strapped council have been added to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register, which also now includes the House of Reeves furniture showroom in Old Town.
Under threat: owned by the council for the past 50 years, Ramsey Court is now ‘at risk’
Over the past year, 197 historic buildings and sites have been added to the Register because Historic England believes they are at risk of neglect, decay or inappropriate development. Of those, 16 sites across the capital have been added to the 2026 Heritage at Risk Register, highlighting buildings and monuments threatened by structural problems or uncertain futures.
Which presents a particular concern, and embarrassment, for Croydon Council-owned Ramsey Court, previously known as the Elis David Almshouses, not far from Croydon Minster.
The Elis David Almshouses were founded on Church Street in 1447, making it Croydon’s oldest charity. The almshouses were enlarged and rebuilt in red brick between 1875 and 1887, and in the 1970s they formed part of a land swap deal with Croydon Council which allowed the charity to build modern almshouses – flats – on Duppas Hill Terrace.
Historically significant: almshouses have been on the site for almost 700 years
For the last 50 years, the buildings with their quaint courtyard garden and Victorian ironwork have been in the care of Town Hall bosses, who have in the past used parts of the buildings as offices or let them out to a variety of charities, who currently include HomeStart Croydon, Esther Community Enterprise (a food redistribution organisation) and the African Youth Development Association.
“Decorative railings, gates and gabled brickwork contribute to its special character,” according to Historic England.
The almshouses remain broadly stable, according to the agency, but “signs of deterioration have led to its inclusion on the register”. They express particular concern about the railings.
A short walk from the almshouses is Reeves Corner, notorious for the horrific scenes of burning properties on the night of the 2011 Croydon riots. The House of Reeves building survived the conflagration, but the furniture business’s other showroom did not. Nothing has been done in the past 15 years to redevelop that devastated site, which remains as a poorly tended roundabout between road traffic and tramlines.
Now, according to Historic England, there are concerns about the House of Reeves building, too, and it has been added to the Heritage at Risk Register.
Long-standing survivor: the Grade II-listed House of Reeves building dates from the early 18th Century
The furniture showroom occupies a Grade II-listed building from the early 18th-Century which was converted for commercial use. Historic England says the building “is in poor condition and showing signs of further decline”.
The addition of the almshouses and House of Reeves to the Register today brings to at least 15 the total number of buildings in Croydon deemed to be “at risk”.
They include four Grade II-listed churches (St John, Sylvan Road; St Andrew’s, Southbridge Road; St Augustine’s, South Croydon; and St Mark’s, Albert Road) plus the Grade II Pumping Station off Surrey Street, Segas House on Park Lane, a former Kennedy’s shop in South Norwood, three World War II fighter pens at Kenley airfield and, of course, the Leslie Arms in Addiscombe.
There is one other property on the Register for which Croydon Council is responsible: Norwood Grove, which this weekend celebrates a centenary of being in public hands, despite its uncertain future.
Under threat: the Grade II-listed White House at Norwood Grove was handed over to the people of Croydon in 1926
Publishing the Heritage at Risk Register today, Baroness Fiona Twycross, the government’s heritage minister, said, “It is vital we protect the heritage sites at the heart of communities which help tell the stories of our nation.
Minister’s view: Baroness Fiona Twycross
“The Heritage at Risk Register plays a crucial role in identifying these historic places that need our support… This year’s register is an important reminder of the pressures facing our historic environment, from ageing buildings and structural deterioration to the impacts of extreme weather.
“I want us to build on our progress to ensure our heritage is protected for generations to come.”
Being on the Heritage at Risk Register has some advantage for property owners, and negligent councils. They are able to apply for grants from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s Heritage at Risk Capital Fund, or the £1.5billion Arts Everywhere Fund intended “to save more than 1,000 arts venues, museums, libraries, and heritage buildings across England”.
Read more: Council-run Norwood Grove placed on heritage at risk register
Read more: Mystery after Grade II-listed Leslie Arms is pulled from auction
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