Historic house repairs expected to take two years

Ashleigh Jayes said the 14th Century Almonry holds important stories about the history of Evesham

Work to restore a 14th Century house that was once part of one of the largest abbeys in Britain, could take two years to complete.

Plans have been submitted for repairs to Evesham's Grade I-listed Almonry building, which has been placed on the Heritage At Risk register because of its deteriorating condition.

In March, the Arts Council gave Evesham Town Council £2.1m to pay for the work, which is expected to start in the autumn.

Ashleigh Jayes, manager of the almonry, said it would be a "huge project", but also one which was critical for its future.

In February a survey found part of the roof was at risk of collapse, so it had to be removed and replaced with a temporary tin roof.

Creating a permanent replacement, from Cotswold stone, is just part of the work that needs to be carried out.

Timber frame repairs

Ms Jayes said all the wall panels would need to be replaced, because the existing ones are made of cement, not lime plaster, and the weight of them was damaging the building.

She said the timber frame would also need repairing, or replacing in places, and all the doors and windows would need to be repaired and made weather-tight.

In addition, the chimneys would need examining and the Almonry is seeking another £2m to pay for changes to the front of the shop.

The almonry has served a number of uses since the abbey was destroyed

The Almonry was originally the home of the abbey's Almoner, who was responsible for passing on alms to the poor.

When the rest of the abbey was torn down during the dissolution of the monasteries, it was one of the few parts to remain.

Since then, Ms Jayes said it had led a "varied life", as a home, an inn, a tea room, offices, and most recently a museum.

She said she loved the "character of the building, it's quirkiness" and because its exhibits tell the story of ordinary people, she said it is very important to Evesham.

One of the jobs will involve replacing the wall panels with lime plaster

Over the years, the building has "not had an awful lot of maintenance done on it" Ms Jayes said and as a result it was "at this critical point now where we've got to save the building".

The plan is to close it to visitors in September, so work can start in October.

Under the terms of the Arts Council grant, the work has to finish by March 2027, but Ms Jayes said it could then take until the end of 2027 to get the museum ready to reopen.

She said there is no fixed reopening date, but hoped to provide updates once the project was under way.