by A historic 300-year-old grave linked to the comic series Tintin is among the sites added to England’s national heritage list this year.
In 2024, around 256 sites were listed, 17 of which were praised for their “remarkable and unusual” structures.
These include a late 19th-century electricity junction in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, and a brutalist church in the heart of Broadmead shopping center in Bristol.
The listed sites are now protected, meaning any changes that could potentially affect their historic interest will need to be approved through the planning system in the future.
Three “exceptionally rare” 17th-century graves in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, have also been listed. One of them commemorates a woman named Mary Ellis, who is believed to have lived to be 119 years old.
Mary Ellis’ grave, built in 1609, is known locally as the “Cutlass Stone” because it was used to sharpen blades. Although little is known about Ellis, the epitaph indicates that she never married and had no children.
A second grave – built in the courtyard of St Clement’s Church in 1688 – is that of Mary Haddock, whose son, an admiral named Richard, inspired the character of Captain Haddock in Hergé’s comic book series The Adventures of Tintin .
The grave lies next to the grave of Mary Haddock’s father, William Goodlad, a 17th-century whaler who rose to national prominence through the development of British sea routes and, among other things, charted the first whaling expedition to Norway.
The ornate tomb dates to 1639 and features carved tablets and scrolls, as well as inscriptions on both sides celebrating his life and achievements.
Also on the list are the First World War Browndown training trenches in Gosport, Hampshire, which were rediscovered through aerial photography in 2011.
The troops were trained on the site before their deployment abroad. Among other things, they were taught how to dig, reinforce, repair and adapt the trenches and how to fight in them.
They were designed to emulate parts of the Western Front by having at least two phases of trench and enemy front lines, as well as support trenches separated by a ‘no man’s land’.
The Royal Marines Light Infantry and Hampshire Regiment are believed to have trained in the training trenches before setting off from Southampton for the Western Front.
16 Warley Way in Frinton-on-Sea has also been given listed status because it is an early representation of modernist architecture.
Designed in 1934 by architect Oliver Hill, the house features curved lines and was designed with a focus on space and light.
“Ward stands for revolutionary progress”
A former maternity ward at the Princess Royal Community Hospital in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, was also added to the list.
Built ten years after the Maternity and Child Care Act 1918, the station “reflects a pivotal moment in the development of public health care for women,” Historic England said.
Designed in the Arts and Crafts style, the “Bungalow Station” was one of the first to have single rooms – a progressive departure from the traditional communal stations of the time.
This design reduced the risk of infectious diseases and potentially fatal “puerperal fever,” also known as puerperal fever, a bacterial infection that affects women after childbirth.
A spokesman for Historic England said of the station: “As well as community pavilion spaces and terraces to improve the wellbeing of recovering mothers, the station represents a revolutionary advance in British healthcare at a time when mortality rates for new mothers were very high.”
The building served as a maternity hospital for 56 years, with the last child born there in October 1984. It then became the Princess Royal Community Hospital.
Toddington Fingerpost in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire has also received a place on this year’s list.
Built in the early 20th century, the signpost features pointing hands at the ends of three painted directional arms.
“Remarkable preservation of Victorian engineering”
Also on the list was an electrical junction box installed in Huddersfield in 1895 – just three years after consumer electricity first arrived in the Yorkshire town.
The blue-painted iron box, intended to distribute electricity to various consumers in the neighborhood, played a crucial role in the development of electricity as a mass utility.
Historic England described it as a “remarkable preservation of Victorian engineering.”
The organization also included Broadmead Baptist Church, in the heart of Broadmead shopping center in Bristol, on this year’s list, calling the building a “striking example of post-war church architecture”.
Built between 1967 and 1969 to the design of architect Ronald H. Sims, it is known locally as the “church above the shops” because the ground floor retail provides a source of income for the church facilities above.
The church’s brutalist exterior has white V-shaped bar ends, symbolic of flying doves.
A spokesman for Historic England said: “The rise from the dim lobby to the bright upper floors represents the spiritual ascension from darkness into light.”
The gardens and theme parks of Brownsea Castle, on the largest island in Poole Harbour, Dorset, are also on the list this year.
Located on Brownsea Island, the castle was built from the ruins of a Tudor log cabin – a defensive fortification – and is surrounded by idyllic gardens.
Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said of this year’s selection: “From rare 17th-century chest tombs, to a post-war church above the shops, to a revolutionary former maternity ward benefiting new mothers, these remarkable places show the lives of the Protection was granted in 2024.” the diversity of England’s heritage.
“This festive season, we invite you to explore the historic places on your doorstep, add your stories and photos to the Missing Pieces Project and help us celebrate what makes these places so special.”
Sir Chris Bryant, the Minister for Heritage, said: “The annual Historic England listing is a celebration of 12 months of hard work to protect and preserve some truly unique buildings and places that have helped shape our cultural history.
“Like all “Best of” lists worth reading, I implore you to consider these 17 wonderful places and experience some of them for yourself in the new year.”
