Calls to shed light on our historic sites
HISTORIC England is opening up the nation’s list of significant buildings and monuments to allow the public to shed light on local attractions for the first time.
Among the sites being publicised as part of the campaign is a gibbet post near Shackerstone.
Other weird and wonderful places include a ducking stool in Canterbury, Britain’s first mosque built by a 19th Century Liverpool solicitor who converted to Islam, and a tombstone in Malmesbury marking the passing of Hannah Twynnoy, killed by a tiger in 1703.
The aim is to crowdsource knowledge and photographs for the official list of England’s 400,000 significant historic places.
Roger Bowdler, head of listing at Historic England, said: “Many build- ings on the list are wellknown and even world famous but in some cases there is much that remains unknown. That’s why we need the public’s help - so we can share images, insights and understanding of England’s special places and capture these for future generations.”
Research shows 99% of people in England live within one mile of a listed building or place - although many don’t actually realise it.
The gibbet post, suita- bly situated on Gibbet Lane which runs from the A444 to Bilstone, Congerstone and Shackerstone, dates from 1800.
Historic England say it used to have a plaque, now vanished, inscribed: “This gibbet was erected a half of a mile from the scene of a murder committed by John Massey February, 1800.”
Anyone with information on the crime or the execution is invited to add this to the list.
Roger said: “The histo- ry of our land and its people is marked in the fabric of England’s places. The list is a free resource holding details of the most significant of these so they can be understood and protected for the future.”
Hinckley and Bosworth has scores of listed buildings, mainly at Grade II, including stable blocks, manor houses, cottages, churches and church architecture, war memorials, bank buildings, telephone boxes, a monument to Hercules, pubs and schools.