The organisation has just released its latest Heritage at Risk register warning that it was facing an estimated national conservation deficit of £72.3 million.

And although there have been considerable successes over the 11 years the list has been operating, the remaining cases are those most difficult to resolve.

Among those being highlighted is the case of a Grade II listed 12th century barn, at New Manor Farm in Bierton with Broughton.

Although Aylesbury Vale District Council has carried out some urgent work to the building, it is slowly decaying and no solution is in sight.

The timbered barn, once a hub for rural work, now stands unused on private farmland.

Dinton Castle, a folly built as an eyecatcher for Dinton Hall in 1796, has already been offered a £40,500 heritage grant for emergency work, which would cover 80 per cent of the £50,600 total cost.

With the tower on the verge of collapse, its owner failed to complete a council works order. AVDC was forced to move quickly to carry out emergency repairs itself to stabilise the octagonal gothic structure.

It is unknown if the building was ever occupied, but experts believe it is likely it was only used for leisure purposes. In the future, it will be left as a ruin; returning it full circle to a visual attraction.

Grade I-listed Ashfold School, in Dorton, has the added complication of being occupied by energetic youngsters. Dating back to 1626, it contains elaborate 17th century plaster ceilings in several rooms and under staircase soffits.

The roof, stonework and conditions of the lintels all give cause for concern and, although the school has ensured all health and safety regulations are followed, a schedule for conservation still needs to be completed.

Finally, Mentmore Towers, in Mentmore, has fallen victim to the current economic climate.

Its owners were originally granted permission to convert it into a hotel and build a major extension, but it is recently believed to have changed hands.

For more on this story, pick up a copy of this week's Bucks Herald.

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