More money has been secured for the continued urgent repairs at the historic former home of poet Lord Byron.
Newstead Abbey, which is set in 300 acres of parkland, is an internationally significant landmark.
The country house, built on the site of the Augustinian Abbey following its dissolution, was home to the poet from 1808 to 1814.
Today, the abbey has managed to retain its original medieval cloisters, one of only a handful of surviving examples in the country, while the west front is the original façade of the old priory church and dates as far back as 1274.
The abbey and park were gifted to Nottingham city in 1931, and the site has operated as a museum ever since.
The landmark has fallen into a poor state of repair.
Rachael Evans, museums development manager at Nottingham City Council, said: “A 2014 condition survey by specialist conservation architects, Purcell, stated then that repairs to the roofs were urgent.
“A decade later – roofs unable to be repaired due to cost – the condition of the building caused by further ingress has deteriorated to the degree that propping of internal public areas has become necessary due to the danger of ceilings collapsing.”
Some funding has already been secured for the first of six phases of work.
The council’s senior members agreed in October last year to accept Arts Council England’s Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) grant award of £1,482,882 and the National Lottery Fund grant of £249,828.
This money is being spent on replacing the expired lead and copper roofs.
Nottingham City Museums has now been successful in securing two further grant awards totalling £1,616,861. Along with match funding from council reserves and a fundraising campaign, the authority says it is now able to repair the expired slate roofs, too.
This second phase of repairs will make the building wind- and watertight, preventing further damage.
A third phase is also required to complete the roof repairs.
Phase four will involve the replacement of expired fire and security alarms, heating and electrics to make the building safe and environmentally sustainable; phase five will feature accessibility improvements, while the final phase includes urgent repairs to a collapsing parapet in the stable block courtyard.
“This last phase is a recent addition due to the severity of the safety concerns with both areas,” Ms Evans adds in a report.
“An additional grant for a maximum of £990,000 is being applied for to cover the cost of this additional phase, which will need to be delivered as soon as possible and can be delivered in conjunction with phase two works.
“No match funding is required. If the terms of the grant award change from this approval, a further report and approval will be necessary.”
Senior councillors are expected to accept the second-phase funding and repairs plan at a meeting on Tuesday (22 September).
By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
