Lancashire's heritage

Lancashire's built heritage includes historic buildings of many sizes, periods and types, ranging from the humblest barn to the grandest mansion. This remarkable richness and variety reflect the distinctive aspects of the county's history, contributing to the economic life of the county and the quality of life enjoyed today by residents and visitors alike.

Historic England maintains the National Heritage List for England (NHLE), which is the official register of nationally protected buildings and sites. The list includes listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, registered battlefields, protected wreck sites. Buildings and parks and gardens are graded to reflect their relative importance.

Historic England also compiles the Heritage at Risk Register to identify, protect and manage historic places and sites that are most at risk of being lost due to neglect, decay or inappropriate development. Heritage assets found to be at risk are recorded on the Heritage at Risk Register. The register includes assets registered on the NHLE, in addition to conservation areas (designated by local planning authorities).

The figures below are extracted from Historic England's database as of February 2026.

National Heritage List

There were 5,437 buildings and sites included on the National Heritage List for England in Lancashire-12. Of these, 5,269 were listed buildings, 136 were scheduled monuments, and 32 were registered parks and gardens.

Of the listed buildings in Lancashire-12, 72 were listed as Grade I for exceptional interest, 263 as Grade II* and 4,934 as Grade II. These include a wide range of buildings with diverse histories, such as castles, churches, farmhouses, manor houses, and mills.

Many of the Grade I listed buildings operate as visitor attractions, helping to preserve and celebrate Lancashire's heritage. This includes Lancaster Castle, part of the Duchy of Lancaster, with its 11th century Keep, which has previously served as a court and a prison, and Clitheroe castle, built in the early 12th century. Previously private residences dating back to the early 1300s and onwards which are now open to the public include Samlesbury Hall, Towneley Hall, Rufford Old Hall, and Lytham Hall.

Of the registered parks and gardens in Lancashire-12, four were registered as Grade II* and 28 as Grade II. These include the three Grade II* parks worked on by Edward Milner in the mid-1800s in Preston (Avenham Park, Miller Park, and Moor Park), many Grade II parklands and landscape gardens associated with listed buildings, in addition to commemorative sites such as Fleetwood Memorial Park.

At risk nationally listed heritage

As of February 2026, there were 70 buildings and sites identified as at risk in Lancashire-12, including 43 listed buildings, 13 scheduled monuments, 12 conservation areas, and two registered parks and gardens.

Of the listed buildings at risk, 11 of these were Grade I, most of which are religious buildings and structures. This includes Whalley Abbey in Ribble Valley (the west range of the cloister and North West gateway), a Cistercian monastery dating back to the early 1300s.

Source: National Heritage List for England and Heritage at Risk Register from Historic England.

Non-designated heritage assets

Some buildings and sites may not be included in the National Heritage List for England but still have great local significance. Heritage assets that are important to the community, but are not nationally listed, can be given special consideration in local planning processes as non-designated heritage assets (NDHA). Such buildings and sites may be identified from sources such as the Historic Environment Record (HER) or through local listing.

The Lancashire HER contains information on over 40,000 known sites, including both nationally registered and non-designated buildings, structures, earthworks, and landscapes. Further details can be found on the Lancashire HER webpage.

Most local planning authorities in Lancashire maintain a local list of NDHAs which are available to view on their websites.

Further sources of heritage buildings and sites

Over 60 different heritage resources are available to be cross-searched on the Heritage Gateway website. This includes Historic England’s national listing records, as well as those of many Historic Environment Records (HERs) which hold the primary information for non-designated heritage assets (NDHAs), as well as records from other heritage organisations.

The Theatres Trust works maintains a database of theatre buildings and publishes an annual register of theatres that are at risk of being lost. In 2025, five theatres in Lancashire-14 were included on this register: Winter Gardens (Lancaster), Winter Gardens Pavillion (Blackpool), Burnley Empire (Burnley), Joe Longthorne Theatre (former North Pier Pavilion, Blackpool), Oswaldtwistle Civic Arts Centre and Theatre (Hyndburn).

The National Piers Society website has details of past and present piers, and the Lancashire results can be found on the North West webpage.

The Children's Homes website details the history of the many and varied institutions that became home for thousands of children and young people in Britain, including orphanages, reformatories, and hostels. The list of homes and institutions recorded in Lancashire is available from the Children's Homes webpage.

Conservation and heritage organisations

There are number of organisations that have been involved in conservation and heritage projects across Lancashire. Growth Lancashire Ltd contributes towards growing productivity, prosperity and places across Lancashire, including providing specialist services and expertise relating to heritage and conservation. Details of regeneration projects they have been involved in can be found on Growth Lancashire's case studies webpage.

Regional and national organisations which have been involved in heritage projects in Lancashire over recent years include the Heritage Trust for the North West, the King's Foundation, the Railway Heritage Trust, the Churches Conservation Trust, the Landmark Trust, the War Memorials Trust, Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Page updated 9 February 2026