News

Welcome to the news page. Here you will find out all about what’s happening at the Almonry.

Read our March 2024 Press Release below

£2.1M Reasons to Celebrate!

The Almonry celebrates as it secures vital funding to save the building

The Almonry are celebrating after being awarded £2,173,500 from the Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND)  The funding is made available through the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and is administered by Arts Council England.

The grant will help to fund the essential repairs and restoration need to save the Almonry.

The Almonry is a Grade 1 listed building, placing it in the top 2.5% of listed buildings in the country.  In 2016 Historic England placed the Almonry on the Heritage at Risk Register; the register recognises those sites that are at most risk of being lost.  Additional funding in 2020 and in 2023 has allowed a series of different surveys and studies to be carried out on the Almonry to determine the age, condition and the scale fo the work that needs to be carried out.

Last year a funding bid was submitted to Arts Council England for £2.1m to save the Almonry.  The Restoration Project will see a huge amount of work carried out including having all the roofs stripped and re-slated, the timber frame will be repaired, the plaster infil panels will have the cement removed and replaced with lime plaster, new heating and lighting will be installed throughout and even the gutters and downpipes will get an overhaul.

Ashleigh Jayes, Almonry Manager said ‘This is a the most exciting news.  The Almonry is in desperate need of work and this grant is a lifeline for this beautiful building. The work will begin later this year and there is a lot planning and preparation to do in the meantime.’

The Almonry is one of 26 museums across England to be awarded a grant in this round of MEND funding.  Jo Adams, Evesham Town Clerk said ‘Evesham Town Council is absolutley delighted with the grant award.  The Almonry team have worked fantastically hard over the last few years and we look forward to the opportunity to return the Almonry to its former glory and to be there for future generations.’

Repairing and restoring the building is only part of the story. The Restoration Project is Phase 1 of a wider project that will develop and improve the museum. While the building works are being carried out, Phase 2 will begin which includes a complete refurbishment of the museum, inclduing new displays and new interpretation.

Museum Manager Ashleigh Jayes said about the overall project, ‘It is a large project, that’s why we are delivering it in two phases.  We need to continue fundraising though and we will be looking for help over the next few years to develop and grow the project, especially with Phase 2 where we will be working with our different communities and visitors to look at the stories we tell, how we tell them and how we present them.’