More cash needed to repair Lord Byron's former home

In some of the grandest rooms of Newstead Abbey - the former home of the romantic poet Lord Byron - rotting timbers and crumbling plaster from water ingress is causing concern for the Grade I listed building's future.

"Over time, water destroys the beams that hold up the roofs and the ceilings, and the whole site becomes a health and safety risk," explains Rachael Evans, from Nottingham City Museums.

But help is on its way with £1.75m in Arts Council England and lottery funding being provided to pay for urgent roof repairs.

However Ms Evans warns this funding will not be enough to pay for all the building's roofs to be brought up to standard.

Newstead Abbey, currently owned by Nottingham City Council, is on Historic England's At Risk Register, after the heritage organisation described the building's condition as "poor".

"Newstead Abbey is a gem in the county and is incredibly important. It's a thousand years old and the architecture is unique," said Ms Evans.

"Roofs have a life expectancy of 70 to 80 years. Our teams maintain them but all the roofs need replacing.

"We've found climate change means the historic gutter systems can't cope with the flow of water we see now.

"All of the lead is completely shot and you can feel the roof is spongey. We need to redesign how to get the water off the roof as quickly as possible."

Ms Evans says the impact of the poor condition of the roofs can be seen throughout the building.

"You'll see [water] patches everywhere," she said, pointing to peeling paint in the library. "That's where down pipes are and the water backs up."

Meanwhile the Sussex Tower in the building has a "unique challenge".

She said: "The ceiling is in quite bad condition as it has a large water tank above it which has become rusty.

"Every time it rains, the water filters back down the tower and creates all kinds of issues.

"The £249,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund will specifically mend the Sussex Tower and we're looking at ways to remove the tank."

Sadly the funding will not be enough to cover all the repair work needed at Newstead Abbey.

Ms Evans said: "We're enthralled we've received the money to help us fix the cloisters' roofs and the salon roof.

"However, all the roofs need replacing. There are three phases of roof works that need to happen'.

"All the roofs are at the end of their lives, and need replacing urgently. To begin raising funds for that, we're about to launch a campaign to support the wider appeal."

She added: "Newstead Abbey is an international visitor destination, and very much loved by our local communities, so in order to preserve this heritage for future generations the roofs have to be repaired now.

"I think Lord Byron would love [the repairs]. We've kept [Newstead] how he had it as a home, and I think he'd come back and have a great party here as he did then."

Groundworks to complete phase one should commence in early 2026, and be completed by 2028.

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