A FORMER steelworks office building in Shotton has been included on a UK list of endangered buildings.

The Victorian Society’s annual Top 10 Endangered Buildings List recognises at-risk Victorian and Edwardian buildings and structures throughout England and Wales with the aim of exposing the plight of these buildings in the hope that increased awareness and appreciation will help save them.

Featured in this year’s list is the office building of the John Summers Steelworks which stands on the banks of the River Dee in Shotton.

Built in 1907 for John Summers & Sons by architect James France, a follower of the Manchester Edwardian school of terracotta and red brick, the office building was sited at the entrance to 10,000 acres of land used to produce galvanised steel sheets. The cheapness of the land, an abundant water supply and good rail links to the ports of Liverpool and Birkenhead saw the company thrive and continue to grow in subsequent decades until it was later taken over by the British Steel Corporation. It was later owned by Corus and in 2010 landowners, Pochin Goodman, paid £5m for 200 acres of surplus land from Tata, including the general office and four other buildings.

Since then the highly-industrial location has made its reuse complicated and the building has become the subject of regular break-ins and vandalism and is now in a poor state of repair.

Christopher Costelloe, director of the Victorian Society, said: “This is a fine Edwardian industrial building which should proudly showcase Shotton’s industrial past.

“Instead it is boarded-up and unused, and every day continues to be at risk from vandalism and theft. We’re hopeful that the developers realise the value of the historic building they are in ownership of, and put forward a sensitive plan for restoration urgently.”

TV celebrity and comedian Griff Rhys Jones, who is president of the Victorian Society, has urged people to join the campaign to save the buildings on the list.

He said: “What a fascinating list we have this year. It just goes to show the ingenuity of Victorian and Edwardian architects; we have buildings made of brick, glass and steel for all manner of industrial, religious and community uses.

“These are pieces of the history of the Victorian era and its industrial, spiritual and cultural beliefs – incredible. And this makes their current sad and neglected state even harder to swallow. Every single building on this list is crying out for redevelopment and could make something truly wonderful for its community. Join us and help them.”

Other buildings in the society’s latest top 10 endangered buildings list - published each year to highlight at risk Victorian and Edwardian buildings - include the Winter Gardens in Great Yarmouth, Merseyside Centre for the Deaf in Liverpool and St Mary’s Convent Church in Leeds.