Issue 35 autumn 2022 - Flipbook - Page 63
Work has started on site to
restore the Lord Leycester
hospital in Warwick
Major capital works have begun at Lord Leycester Hospital to safeguard the
future of the buildings, and transform visitor experience.
resided in the iconic buildings bequeathed to Warwick
by the town’s medieval guilds. Though it has weathered
700-hundred years of history, the ancient fabric of
the building is beginning to show its age and major
conservation work is required to ensure its survival.
Donald Insall Associates is leading a multi-disciplinary
team including Mann Williams, BCA Consultants, PMP
Consultants, and fire engineers OFR to meticulously
restore and repair the medieval fabric and upgrade
services, together with improving visitor access and
facilities.
A £1.4 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage
Fund, as part of £2m capital work, will pay for vital works
to safeguard the Grade I and II-listed buildings, preventing further disrepair, and create a modern visitor attraction. The project will see improvements to the visitor
experience and repairs to the medieval fabric; works
include a new welcome space, exhibition area, restrooms,
café and giftshop, as well as improving overall accessibility through the widening of garden paths, and the
installation of ramps and a lift. The grant from The
National Lottery Heritage Fund will enable The Lord
Leycester to begin a sustainable new chapter and importantly, increase its financial resilience.
Matthew Vaughan, Practice Director, at Donald Insall
Associates said “The Grade I listed Lord Leycester is a
building of incredible importance, not only regionally, but
nationally, with connection to compelling historical
figures from Elizabeth I to Oscar Wilde. Working with
our client and consultant team, we are delighted to have
achieved this important milestone for the building’s
transformation, to help secure its future and bring its
many treasures and fascinating stories fully to light”.
For nearly 450 years, the Lord Leycester Hospital has
been home to ex-service men - The Brethren – who have
Below, the courtyard at Lord Leycester Hospital
(c) Paul Miller 2020’
Conservation & Heritage Journal
61