A MAGNIFICENT stately home has had part of its estate removed from the Buildings At Risk Register following successful repairs, English Heritage has revealed.

After extensive restoration funded in part by a grant from English Heritage, the 18th century Ray Wood Walls, at Castle Howard, have been deemed no longer vulnerable to decay.

Neil Swain, the letting agent for Castle Howard, said: "We are delighted that the walls have been removed from the list."

A number of historic buildings in North Yorkshire have also been removed, including York House, in Malton, a 17th century listed building which has recently been converted into offices.

But there is still room for improvement. In North Yorkshire alone, 56 listed buildings remain on the register.

The aim of the register is to focus attention on neglected historic buildings and to decide the best plan of action needed to restore them and, where appropriate, bring them back into practical use.

Maddy Jago, the English Heritage regional director for planning and development, said: "The Buildings At Risk Register was designed as a tool to help monitor progress in protecting the historic environment. By that measure, we have come a long way in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

"Since the 1999 edition, we have removed over half the original entries by brokering solutions and carefully targeting our own grants. Seven of the entries removed since last year benefited from English Heritage grant-aid."

But she added: "There is still much to be done. We estimate that over 70 of the buildings on the register are capable of beneficial re-use. But finding a sustainable solution for others is more difficult. This is especially true of scheduled ancient monuments, such as the remains of 19th century lead mines or ruinous medieval buildings. Many of these remain in a poor condition and securing their future remains an important focus of our work."

At the launch of this year's register, Simon Thurley, English Heritage's chief executive, said: "Even though many of these buildings are capable of being restored to some form of beneficial use, including housing, it does not necessarily make them economic propositions for developers, organisations or individuals."

While the Ray Wood Walls at Castle Howard have been successfully preserved, there are no plans to prevent further deterioration of the estate's mausoleum, which is still on the register. The building is in serious need of expensive repairs.

Mr Swain said: "We continue to invest in projects on the estate and that is one we hope to restore but unfortunately it is a long, slow process."

Lack of funding is a constant problem. Mr Thurley said: "If we fail to act today, the cost of saving these buildings will continue to rise and their decay advance."