THE RESTORATION of Stratford’s Old Toll House is nearing completition.
The £450,000 project of the grade I-listed building on Clopton Bridge began last autumn, and is set to be completed by the end of this month.
Project organiser Chris Rice told The Observer while the scaffolding had come down outside, finishing touches still had to be completed inside.
Repairs to the badly degraded external stonework facing onto the busy A3400 road, was the most challenging part of the restoration.
The town landmark was built in 1814, but over the past 30 years it has fallen into serious disrepair and has been included on Historic England’s Register of Buildings at Risk.
The likelihood was the building – which only operated as a toll house for 25 years – would have been knocked down had it not formed part of the structure of the bridge itself.
It was last in use as an office by the Cox family next to its timber yard until 1991.
The upper levels of the building will be available to rent as office space, which will provide the trust with income to put towards rescuing other local historic buildings at risk.
The restoration was carried out by Stratford Historic Buildings Trust, following major grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic England.
