There are still nearly 5,000 sites on the register. Hastings Castle, one of the fortifications commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman invasion of 1066 to secure his position along the English south coast, has had sections become vulnerable recently because of extreme weather events, Historic England said. Its exposed setting and coastal erosion have long shaped the ruins. Dickens' two-storey wooden chalet, originally in his garden and moved to Rochester in the 1960s, is judged fragile and in need of repair. Fylingdales Moor in North Yorkshire suffered a wildfire in the summer that damaged about 25 square kilometres of moorland and forest, affecting thousands of people in the area. Historic England has been working with the North York Moors National Park Authority, using drones to help assess the damage.
Other new entries include Hall's Croft in Stratford-upon-Avon, the home of William Shakespeare's daughter, which needs funding for repairs after being hit by a vehicle, and the 18th-century Bidston windmill in Wirral, where a friends group keeps it open but urgent repairs are needed.
Eighty-five sites had been saved and removed from the register, including Newlyn harbour in Cornwall, where local specialists restored its granite structures and railings. A Georgian terrace in Haringey, north London, has been saved from dereliction by Tottenham Hotspur FC, with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and is now a creative hub. Edward Jenner's thatched hut in Gloucestershire, considered the site of the world's first vaccination clinic, has also been saved.
Emma Squire, the joint chief executive of Historic England, said the 197 additions highlighted that even very special places can be at risk of decay or loss, and noted that water ingress and subsidence from changing weather patterns were more common. Heritage minister Fiona Twycross said the register was an important reminder of the pressures facing the historic environment from ageing buildings, structural deterioration and extreme weather. Historic England said it spent more than £12m on grants for support and repairs to 135 sites on the register during 2025-26.