Pagefield Mill for sale for Â£2.5million

The Pagefield building, formerly Rylands Mill, has seen numerous fires and outbreaks of nuisance behaviour with 999 chiefs warning of an impending catastrophe.

But interest in the Grade II listed premises, by Mesnes Park, could sky-rocket after it was today named in a list of the nation’s top 10 endangered historic buildings.

The Victorian Society said the former cotton mill is a prime example of a lack of investment. Also included in the top 10 is St Joseph’s seminary in Up Holland.

An artist's impression of how the site could look

Hopes of a new lease of life for Pagefield - which has planning permission for hundreds of apartments - will be music to the ears of council chiefs who have recently started a costly demolition of outbuildings on the site.

TV star, Griff Rhys Jones, vice chairman of the Victorian Society, said: “I know how difficult finding funding can be - especially outside London. Restoring important historic buildings is worth investing in as it can be a catalyst for wider regeneration.

“I hope people living near these buildings will seize this opportunity and campaign to save them. Ultimately, it is the support of local people which will ensure that they are not lost forever.”

The full top 10, in no particular order, is:

Red Barns, Redcar, North Yorkshire; Victoria Mill, Grimsby; Old Bute Road Railway Station, Cardiff; Old Library, Stafford; Mount Street Hospital, Preston; Clayton Hospital, Wakefield; St Paul’s Church, Boughton, Chester; St Joseph’s Seminary, Up Holland; Rylands Mill, Wigan, Oliver Buildings, Barnstaple, Devon.