Britain’s historic houses and estates are at increasing risk of destruction due to climate change, with some of the nation’s most-loved sites already feeling the impact of extreme weather, the National Trust has warned.
The charity responsible for looking after Britain’s heritage sites said two major storms in the past month, Babet and Ciarán, have caused significant damage to a number of its properties due to flooding, erosion and the toppling of trees.
It warned damage like this is likely to become more common in the future, with research finding that 71 per cent of the places it cares for could be at a medium or high risk of climate hazards, such as flooding and wildfires, by 2060.
The National Trust is calling on all political parties to commit to introducing a new law after the next election that sets legal duties and targets for adapting buildings, coastlines and countryside to cope with the impact of climate change.
In a new report, titled A Climate for Change, the Trust outlines what it is doing to ensure its land and properties are prepared for extreme weather events, which are becoming more frequent in the UK.
A 260-year old cedar tree was uprooted in Charlecote Park in Warwickshire during Storm Babet (Photo: Jana Eastwood/National Trust)
Patrick Begg, outdoors and natural resources director, said National Trust staff were “already seeing changes where they work” and climate change “presents the single biggest threat to the places in our care and the single biggest challenge to our mission”.
He said the storms of the past month “caused beaches to be eroded, flooding in our gardens, and significant trees to topple and, ironically, for our hydro at Cragside in Northumberland – the birthplace of hydroelectricity – to be temporarily overwhelmed”.
Cragside, Northumberland
Work to stabilise the Italian marble fireplace at Cragside (Photo: National Trust/Colin Davison)
Cragside, near the village of Rothbury in Northumberland, was the first house in the world to be lit by hydroelectricity in 1878.
But the water that powers this house is now causing major damage as the building’s gutters and rainwater downpipes are becoming overwhelmed by heavy rain.
John O’Brien, Cragside general manager, explained: “The Victorian drainage system doesn’t support 21st-century weather conditions. These were often visibly overwhelmed by rainwater which poured from the gutters and cascaded down the outer wall.”
Heavy rain has caused damage to Cragside’s drawing room, which was designed by renowned Victorian-era architect Richard Norman Shaw. The room is dominated by a massive Italian inglenook fireplace, which started showing signs of salt build-ups, which could ultimately cause the fireplace to crumble.
Work has been carried out to the fireplace to remove moisture and stabilise the marble and plasterwork.
Meanwhile, specialist contractors have repaired gaps in the masonry in the drawing room to stop excess moisture from getting in there in the first place.
The National Trust is the UK’s largest conservation charity, caring for 250,000 hectares of land, 780 miles of coastline and 220 gardens and parks.
As part of the new report, the Trust has updated its Hazard Map, originally published in 2021, that shows the risk to its places from threats such as wildfires, rainfall days, strong winds and drought.
Hazard Map layer showing future risk presented to heritage sites across the UK from slope failure
Keith Jones, a climate change consultant at the National Trust, said: “We know facing these threats head-on can be scary and challenging, but by acting now, we are doing positive work to get ahead of the potential risks and impacts.
“What we’re experiencing is being felt across the nation – by people, communities, businesses and organisations everywhere, and we are in a good place to collaborate, share our learnings and to find ways to meet the challenges we face head-on.”
Some of the work the National Trust is already doing to prepare for climate change includes slate hanging on the gables of a cottage in Snowdonia to help stop water ingress from driving rain and working with farmers in the Yorkshire Dales to restore peatland and plant trees.
It is also working with a community on the Gwynedd coast to record archaeology before it is lost to sea.
Mullion Harbour, Cornwall
Mullion Harbour in Cornwall (Photo: John Miller/National Trust)
Mullion Harbour in Cornwall was built in the 1890s and has been in the National Trust’s care since 1945, but is now at threat from rising sea levels, which have risen by 19cm since 1914 and are predicted to rise by another 80cm over the next century.
Over the last 50 years, waves in the English Channel have also become 50cm higher, and storms are twice as frequent.
Over time, the National Trust has spent around £2m repairing the harbour’s two breakwaters, with more than 80 per cent of that spent since 1995.
Justin Whitehouse, general manager for the National Trust, said the structure will “inevitably be more vulnerable to climate change as it ages”.
It has agreed to maintain the harbour until certain thresholds are met that will eventually make repairs “unviable”, he said.
Mr Whitehouse added: “Today we are facing a new threshold with the southern breakwater, where like-for-like repairs are no longer viable due to significant and persistent damage. Together with the local community we are looking at how we might adapt to this change.
“Meanwhile, we are focusing our efforts on the more robust and stronger western breakwater. This year specialist contractors have recently undertaken annual surveys and repairs, whilst the harbour users and volunteers are helping us with small, but vital repairs and maintenance to improve the structure’s resilience to winter storms.”
Jonny Pascoe, chairman of the Mullion Cove Harbour Society, said: “Mullion Harbour is an incredibly special place to so many locals and visitors and I believe for that reason alone it is worth taking a positive, proactive and committed approach to its future. What happens in Mullion could set a benchmark for how we care for so many other vulnerable areas of our historic coastline for future generations to use and enjoy.”
A Government spokesperson said the UK was the first country to legislate for net zero.
“In February, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero was created to ensure climate change remains a key focus across Government,” the spokesperson said.
“Our third National Adaptation Programme sets out a robust five-year plan to strengthen infrastructure, promote a greener economy, and safeguard food production in the face of the climate challenges we face.”
