Coventry's Charterhouse to reopen in April after £10m repair work

Coventry Charterhouse will reopen on 1 April

A Grade I listed former monastery is to reopen as a visitor attraction in April after a multimillion-pound restoration.

Coventry's Charterhouse will welcome the public for the first time on 1 April after more than a decade of fundraising and repair work.

As well as restored gardens and historic architecture, the site will have a new cafe and bar overseen by Michelin star chef Glynn Purnell.

Historic Coventry Trust said the opening was "a huge milestone".

The trust - which was formed to acquire the site and bring it back to life - said the £10m project had been helped with £6m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The building was originally a Carthusian monastery - a Catholic religious order - founded by Richard II in 1385, the trust said.

It was bequeathed to the people of Coventry by its last resident Colonel William Wyley in 1940 as a museum and park. The site was used as part of Coventry College until 2011.

Volunteers have been helping restore the site which has included conserving wall paintings

Historic England added the site to its at-risk register in 2013 due to the poor condition of the roof and the "exceptional" wall paintings inside being under threat.

But last year it said the site was one of 13 endangered in the West Midlands to be saved from ruin.

After repairs, the building now has three conserved wall paintings of national importance, the trust says. There are also interactive displays explaining the site's history.

"This is a huge milestone for Historic Coventry Trust as we prepare to open Charterhouse to the public for the first time in over 630 years," Ian Harrabin, founder and chair of the trust, said.

"It has been a long road of more than a decade since our earliest meetings with the council and local residents to save one of Coventry's most important buildings.

"What has been achieved with the support of so many is testament to the power of working together."

Councillor David Welsh, cabinet member for housing and communities at Coventry City Council, said the building and land had been saved "thanks to the hard work of a group of dedicated and passionate residents and volunteers".