Fourteenth Century St Mary's Guildhall in Coventry reopens to public

Abigail Moore, David Welsh and Jim O'Boyle at the newly revamped Guildhall

A 700-year-old guildhall will re-open to the public after a multimillion-pound restoration project.

Work began at St Mary's Guildhall in Coventry two years ago with more than £5m being spent on the revamp.

Built in 1342, Mary Queen of Scots and other royals were among its visitors but recently the guildhall has been a haunt for ghost hunters and vandals.

Councillor Jim O'Boyle said the building on Bayley Lane in the city centre was a "hidden gem".

"The redevelopment of the guildhall means its legacy will live on for local people and visitors to enjoy for many years to come," Councillor O'Boyle, who is the cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council hope the guildhall reopening to the public will boost footfall in the city after figures showed the number of trips to the city fell from more than 10 million in 2019 to four million in 2020.

The revamp has cost £5.6m from the council's Cultural Capital Investment Programme

The Coventry Tapestry, believed to be among the oldest in Britain, will be on display and a well-preserved medieval kitchen has been revealed for the first time in 100 years.

Abigail Moore, heritage and venue manager at the guildhall, said visitors would be able to see a virtual recreation of a medieval banquet in the newly uncovered kitchen.

A wooden floor in one of the rooms is said to be nationally important, while stained glass windows and wall paintings have also been restored.

The £5.6m spent on the project came from the city council's Cultural Capital Investment Programme.

Councillor David Welsh, cabinet member for heritage in Coventry, said the investment helped "breathe new life into the guildhall, which is such a jewel in Coventry's heritage crown".