THE FORMER head office of the Raleigh Bicycle Company has been recognigsed with a Grade II listing and become the 400,000th property on the National Heritage List for England.

The purpose-built head office for Raleigh in Nottingham is one of several new additions to the list after the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport accepted the latest recommendations from Historic England.

Decorative panels by Nottingham-born artist Charles Doman showing cherubic children, known as putti, holding bicycle parts adorn the front of the property which was built in 1931 and designed by architect Thomas Cecil Howitt.

Raleigh were at one time the biggest manufacturer of bicycles in the world and they were major employers in Nottingham. The company sold the flagship head office in 1983 and moved to Triumph Road, also in Nottingham.

Today, the Howitt building as it’s named, is home to the Lenton Business Centre as well as organisations providing support to the African Caribbean community in Nottingham.

Other new additions to the National Heritage List for England include Elmdon terminal building at Birmingham Airport, Theatre Royal in Plymouth, and the Birches ‘Squatter’s cottage’ in Cleeton St Mary, Shropshire.

Duncan Wilson, Historic England’s Chief Executive, said: “The List is a treasure trove of special historic places that demonstrates the rich variety of England’s history. Reaching 400,000 entries is a milestone – it confirms just how important our heritage is and how much deserves protecting for future generations.”

Jeremy Wright, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said: “The National Heritage List for England tells the story of our past, and the people, places and events that shaped it. This landmark highlights the huge diversity of historic places that we have protected and the integral role heritage plays in our culture.”

Image: Decorative panel by artist Charles Doman. (Historic England).