SIMPLY because a building has stood for centuries is no guarantee it will be around for ever. We can still marvel at York Minster thanks to a fund-raising project in the 1970s that secured its extremely fragile foundations. We enjoy a walk on the Bar Walls today only because a Victorian scheme to demolish them was thwarted.

It is up to each generation to ensure our architectural treasures are preserved for the next. That is why it is crucial English Heritage's plea today is heeded by the Government.

The conservation body's Register Of Buildings At Risk contains almost 1,600 properties. Many of them are in Yorkshire. To protect them all needs £400 million of investment, English Heritage believes.

saving crumbling ruins might not be considered a high priority by a Government which is focusing on saving our crumbling public services. But it is a cause that must not be ignored.

Our nation is defined by its past. Already the post-devolution English stand accused of suffering an identity crisis. That would become much worse if we let our heritage decline.

But this is as much about our future as our past. Like other tourist centres, York and North Yorkshire's economy depends on the visitors attracted by its history. In that context, a £400 million investment becomes a cost-effective proposition. That proposition at least should appeal to this fiercely modern Government.

Updated: 10:39 Tuesday, June 26, 2001