Headstone Manor £5.5m regeneration bid set for approval (From Harrow Times)

Headstone Manor and Harrow Museum £5.5m regeneration bid set for approval

5:10pm Monday 16th July 2012 in News By David Hardiman, Reporter

The first steps towards a £5.5million redevelopment of Harrow Museum will be taken this week as the council prepares to bid for funding.

Harrow Council’s cabinet will meet on Thursday to approve an huge regeneration of the four buildings that make up the museum in the grounds of the 14th Century Headstone Manor in Pinner View. The cabinet will also bid for £2million in funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The project would repair the manor house – currently in a poor state with a damaged roof and only open to the public by appointment – and completely refurbish the interior to provide a new home for the museum.

Other developments would include a café installed in The Small Barn, classrooms and community space put in The Granary, and a new area for events and functions in The Tithe Barn.

The council has already pledged £550,000 to repair the buildings, and would seek funding from other sources to complete the project and make the museum economically viable. It currently costs taxpayers £145,000 a year to run.

Councillor David Perry, cabinet member for cultural services, said: “Headstone Manor is of regional and indeed national significance and despite the ongoing financial pressures we are under, we need to find a way to fully restore this local treasure.

“We have looked at all options and believe that by applying for outside funding support, Harrow Council has the chance to develop and restore this exciting facility for generations to come.”

If the council’s bid for funding is successful, work could begin by May 2014 and be completed by August 2015.