A decade since the community came together to save one of Coventry’s finest medieval buildings is being marked with a special weekend to reveal progress in the major conservation project.
In 2011, the Charterhouse Coventry Preservation Trust was launched – which four years later became Historic Coventry Trust – to save Charterhouse off London Road as well as other historic buildings in the city.
The £8 million transformation of Charterhouse – which is one of only nine Carthusian monasteries in the country – is involving the conservation of its unique medieval and Elizabethan wall paintings, and creation of a new 70-acre Charterhouse Heritage Park.
To celebrate the last ten years, Historic Coventry Trust is hosting a Charterhouse Heritage Park Weekender next Saturday, September 11, and Sunday, September 12.
Visitors are encouraged to come along throughout the weekend between 11am and 4pm to discover Charterhouse Heritage Park and listen to conversations focusing on the stories of restoring the site.
Hard hat tours can be booked to view Charterhouse and its gardens, which are currently undergoing a complete restoration.
There will be an opportunity to gain a fascinating insight into the history of the Anglican Chapel designed as part of Joseph Paxton’s arboretum cemetery on London Road as well as to influence plans for a new wetland and help Historic Coventry Trust decide where to plant new trees for ‘Blossom Together’ which is a new community planting action in partnership with the National Trust.
In addition, visitors can try heritage arts and crafts, enjoy a family friendly yoga session in the Nook wellbeing tent or eat delicious coffee and cake.
From 5pm on September 11, there will be a community picnic at twilight with local musicians serenading guests and tickets are available to watch Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet performed by celebrated theatre company, The Three Inch Fools.
Geoff Willcocks, vice-chair of Historic Coventry Trust, said: “The Charterhouse Heritage Park Weekender will be a wonderful way to celebrate with the local community the achievements of the last ten years and to look forward to the next decade of life for the Charterhouse Heritage Park. This green lung for the city will be hosting lots of activities and events in the coming months and years and the Weekender will offer a first taste of this.
The Charterhouse Heritage Park Weekender will be followed by Historic Coventry Trust opening some of Coventry’s finest historic buildings as part of pre-booked guided tours during Heritage Open Days between 10am and 4pm on Saturday, September 18 and Sunday, September 19.
The two remaining medieval City Gates have remained closed to the public for many years despite their prominent location in Lady Herbert’s Garden and significance in Coventry’s history. Visitors will be able to have an exciting first look at the newly-restored medieval gatehouses before they are opened to the public as holiday accommodation through joining bookable tours on September 18.
Historic Coventry Trust is also opening the newly-restored 15th-century Lychgate Cottages at 3-6 Priory Row in the city centre for the first time on September 19 showing the transformation into luxury holiday accommodation.
Drapers’ Hall was built in 1832 as social rooms for the Coventry Drapers’ Company, who moved out in 1960. There will be an exclusive hard hat tour for visitors on September 19 to view this impressive building as restoration nears completion into an intimate venue for music and music education.
For all pre-booked guided tours during the Charterhouse Heritage Park Weekender and to buy tickets for the community picnic or outdoor theatre show as well as pre-booked guided tours for Historic Coventry Trust properties during Heritage Open Days, please visit https://www.historiccoventrytrust.org.uk/whats-on/
Caption: Charterhouse undergoing restoration work