RESTORATION of Stratford’s Old Toll House is well underway.
The 200 year-old building on Clopton Bridge has been stripped of its roof and upper floors and the windows have been carefully removed for conservation. They will all be replaced or restored this year.
The project is costing some £440,000 and is being overseen by the Stratford Historic Buildings Trust.
Once work is complete the upper levels of the building will be rented out as office space and the basement will be turned into a community exhibition about the history of the building.
Project organiser Chris Rice said: “It is great to finally be on site restoring this familiar Stratford landmark.
“Although the building looks quite bare at the moment, the strip-out has confirmed that there are no serious structural problems which is really good news. Seeing the structure in its exposed state also allows us to see how the building was constructed and reveals some of the changes that have been made in the 200 years since it was first completed.”
The Old Toll House was built in 1814 but over the last 30 years it has fallen into serious disrepair and has been included on Historic England’s Register of Buildings at Risk.
A number of ‘hard-hat’ tours are taking place in the coming weeks for people to see how the build develops.
The next will take place on January 19 and booking is essential. Call 07808 887183 to reserve a space.
