Restoration of 41 Westgate Street in Gloucester complete

A 500-year-old timber-framed building is the latest to benefit from a city centre restoration project.

The 16th Century building at 41 Westgate Street in Gloucester has been empty for 10 years.

It had been considered 'at risk' until the Cathedral Quarter High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) provided grant funding.

HSHAZ is a £1.9m heritage-led scheme to preserve and repair the area's historic buildings.

Funded by Historic England and Gloucester City Council, the scheme has restored 12 properties, including the Folk of Gloucester building and the Grade I listed, Dick Whittington Pub, which are both located on Westgate Street.

The latest restoration, 41 Westgate, is one of the few ancient buildings in upper Westgate Street to have an original timber-framed frontage, discovered during recent works.

Most timber-framed buildings in Gloucester had brick facades added in the 18th and 19th centuries, leaving the timber frame hidden behind them, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

The Grade II-listed property, which will soon be available to rent, has previously been used as a tailors, a Severn Salmon Warehouse and a seed merchants.

The repairs have used traditional methods including the replacement of rotted sections with new timber, the facade rendered with lime and painted in yellow ochre limewash, and the timber shopfront reinstated.

Rebecca Barrett, regional director at Historic England, said: "The Gloucester Cathedral Quarter High Street HAZ continues to make brilliant progress - it's great to see 41 Westgate repaired and its distinctive jettied construction visible again."

City council leader Richard Cook said restoring Gloucester's historic buildings will help boost tourism and support shops.

He said: "This is one of our city's most historic streets with over 70 listed buildings.

"It is a key part of our heritage and restoring these beautiful buildings is important so that they can be enjoyed by future generations as well as supporting local businesses and attracting visitors to our city."

Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]