Source: City of Coventry
Work to renovate and restore a series of 19th Century summerhouses on a Coventry allotment has been approved.
Located at Stoney Road Allotments in Cheylesmore, the three summerhouses originally called urban pleasure gardens – have fallen into disrepair, but Historic England have now approved a grant to fund their restoration because of their national significance.
The site, which is Grade II* listed with Historic England, contains the last remaining plots of the Park Gardens, established on the Cheylesmore Estate, 200 years ago. It is also one of only four remaining detached Victorian town gardens that are listed on Historic England’s Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.
The site is still actively used as allotments and sub-tenanted by the Stoney Road Gardens Association (SRGA).
A Grant from the Historic England has funded a condition survey and feasibility study and now they are funding the repair works.
Coventry City Council had a grant approved by Historic England and it’s expected that work will start on Wednesday this week, 2 October 2024.
The grant funding for the work is £235k. The Council is contributing a further £20k for the work.
Cllr Abdul Salam Khan, Deputy Leader of Coventry City Council, said: “We have been working with the support of Historic England and we know the value of restoring these wonderful summerhouses. I’m looking forward to seeing how the buildings will look, once the restoration work is complete.”
The summerhouses include features like chimneys, fireplaces and internal panelling, providing evidence that some of the plotholders lived in these houses during part of the year.
Formerly the pride of the allotment holders, most of the sites have fallen into disrepair.
Louise Brennan, Regional Director (Midlands) at Historic England, added: “We are really pleased to be able to fund the refurbishment of the summerhouses in partnership with Coventry City Council, and I can’t wait to see them brought back into use for the benefit of the local community.”