A pair of historic St Albans-area sites remain under threat in the new 2025 Heritage Risk register.
Historic England, the public body that looks after England's historic environment, oversees a register of listed buildings, sites and conservation areas it deems 'at-risk'.
This year's list features two St Albans buildings we could be at risk of losing forever.
Sopwell Priory
The Benedictine Priory of St Mary (Sopwell Priory) and the post-medieval mansions are under threat.
Historic England said this asset is thought to be in poor condition. Currently, the monument is "declining" and is thought to be of "high" vulnerability.
Sopwell Priory, also known as Sopwell Nunnery - off Cottonmill Lane - dates back to 1140, when the nunnery was founded.
Sopwell Nunnery in 2021. (Image: Marian Vasas)
However, the ruins that are on show today are the remains of a mansion that once belonged to one of Henry VIII's advisors.
According to St Albans Museums, the famous monarch gifted the land to Sir Richard Lee, following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540.
Sir Richard Lee was a soldier, engineer and member of the king's court.
Upon receiving the land, he demolished the nunnery and built a house on its foundations.
The remains of Sir Richard's mansion featured heavily in an advert for Currys in 2023, which also shows a cow and students on a field trip.
All Saints Pastoral Centre
Second on the list is the former All Saints Pastoral Centre and chapel, in London Colney.
The Grade II listed building in Shenley Lane is in "poor" condition according to Historic England.
All Saints is also believed to be "declining" with "no solution agreed" for the current decay of the building.
While the main building was designed by Leonard Stokes in the late 19th century, construction on Sir Ninian Comper's Gothic-style chapel was started in 1927 and finished by his son Sebastian between 1960 and 1964.
Comper designed relatively few new churches and his speciality was the fitting-out and decoration of interiors.
All Saints Pastoral Centre (Image: Archant)
All Saints Pastoral Centre and Chapel was converted into a conference centre and retreat by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster in 1973, but by 2011 it had fallen into disrepair and was closed.
Property developer Comer Homes bought the site in 2011 and would now like to redevelop it for residential housing using an Enabling Development scheme to subsidise restoration costs.
In 2019, the London Colney building was included in the Twentieth Century Society (C20) Top 10 Buildings at Risk List.
It was first listed in on June 23, 1972.
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