Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Urgent repairs to rescue turret
Developers are set to reopen the historic Westgate Towers museum as conservation teams complete urgent repairs to a crumbling flag turret in danger of collapse.
Restoration of the medieval gatehouse has been ongoing and the final phase is due for completion in three weeks.
Meanwhile, building contractors are also nearing completion of a new riverside seating area next to the ancient monument.
The works clear the way for two businessmen with a lease on the towers and former gaol complex to reopen the gatehouse museum within weeks.
Steven Allen and James Caldon, the team behind The Pound bar which occupies the former cells building fronting the River Stour, are also preparing to serve drinks outdoors when the seating area is complete.
Mr Allen told the Gazette: “All going well, we should be able to have the museum open in around four weeks.
“We’d been hoping to open it much earlier but the council, who are in charge of the build- ing, ran into problems with the repairs.
“They’ll be done in about three weeks, then we’ll need a week to get prepared.”
Earlier this year the Gazette reported how Mr Allen and Mr Cordwell plan to build a new footbridge across the river linking The Pound to the seating area on the opposite bank.
Mr Allen says he hopes to win planning permission shortly and could have an area of seats and tables in place by the end of July.
Mr Allen and Mr Caldon are planning a phased development of the entire complex to include a restaurant to complement the bar within the gaol building.
According to Mr Allen, a planned opening of the restaurant has been delayed as they have yet to find a head chef.
Canterbury city council has been carrying out a staged restoration of the towers building in recent months.
The structure has been shrouded in scaffold and plastic sheeting as specialists replaced eroded stone, repointed and cleared moss.
Contractors hit unforeseen problems when supporting timbers within the flag turret were found to be rotten.
The authority needed Sched- uled Ancient Monument consent from the government to carry out urgent repairs as the turret roof and flagpole were in danger of collapse.
Cllr Ben Fitter, chairman of the council’s regeneration and property committee, said: “We’re excited that the Westgate will soon be revealed in its full glory once again after a careful and complex conservation project.”
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