After months of standing derelict following damage by fire in summer 2009, the former Toy Museum (the Gatehouse to Whitefriars Monastery) is set for restoration.
Martin Yardley, Director of City Services & Development at Coventry City Council, has applied for Listed Building Consent to reinstate elements of the North Range of the building which were damaged by the fire in 2009
Acanthus Clews Architects of Banbury have been appointed for the scheme whose expertise in restoration of historic buildings has already been seen around the city. Projects already completed include repair works to Coventry Cathedral and the restoration of the Non Conformist Chapel at London Road Cemetery, Coventry.
The plan for the former Toy Museum is to reinstate the rear wing as far as possible re-using the timbers that have been salvaged from the fire and stored on site.
Importantly, other works will be carried out with a view to maximising the buildings potential for 21st century re-use. The internal walls are to be insulated and door openings are to be raised slightly to improve access. The existing ground floor (which comprises a patchwork of materials including modern softwood, floorboards, modern concrete slabs, quarry tiles and brick sets) is to be replaced with a continuous concrete slab and finished with quarry tiles to match the existing.
The Coventry Society is pleased to learn that actions are being taken to bring this building back into a sound state of repair, and we hope that progression of these works will provide the incentive for a developer or end user to come forward to breathe new life into the Toy Museum. Could neighbouring projects such as the Severn Trent Operations Centre help to revitalise this important corner of Coventry City Centre?
