Work to renovate ruins at Nine Days' Queen's home

Areas within the ruins that are currently closed to visitors will also be made safe and then reopened

The ruins of a historic house in Bradgate Park which date back nearly 500 years are set to be renovated.

The Bradgate Park Trust has received funding from the Rural Payments Agency to cover the expected £700,000 cost of repairs to Bradgate House - the childhood home of the Nine Days' Queen, Lady Jane Grey.

A staircase tower will be rebuilt, a large fireplace in the kitchen will be strengthened, and repairs will be carried out in the walled garden.

Areas within the ruins that are currently closed to visitors will also be made safe and then reopened, the trust said.

This larger-scale repair project follows the restoration of the Bradgate House chapel, which was completed on 4 July.

The funding for the latest project has come from the Countryside Stewardship grant, issued by the Rural Payments Agency, with project support from Historic England.

Deborah Taylor, chair of the Bradgate Park Trust, said: "With the Bradgate House chapel just being completed, this is a very welcome next stage of our restoration works across the site.

"It supports our ambitions to keep the historic monuments in good condition and accessible, ensuring visitors can continue to discover the history of the Grey family who built it, and it's vital we don't lose its historic make-up."

The restoration of the chapel took place between February and July

The work's contractors, Restoration Projects Ltd, will start work on the house from Monday 14 July, with all work expected to be completed in early 2026.

James Dymond, director of Bradgate Park Trust, said: "This is the first time in kind of living memory that anyone has done a full-scale conservation and restoration project here.

"There have been lots of small-scale items.

"It's a really nice, fresh, white blank canvas in there at the moment, and we're looking forward to getting some of our artefacts, displays, and information back in and opening up for visitors again soon."