The £550,312 grant for Alexandra Palace marks the latest milestone in the restoration of the Grade II-listed Victorian venue, which is commemorating its 150th anniversary this year.
This significant grant will allow the Ally Pally team to stabilise the north east office building, the only section of ‘the People’s Palace’ that is still inaccessible.
In the past the North East Office Building has been used as a ticket office, porter facilities and costume room. (Image: Sophie Harbinson)
Emma Dagnes, CEO of Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust, said: “We are grateful to Historic England for such a significant grant in our 150th year.
“The funding will start us on the journey to bring these spaces back for public benefit, unlocking their potential and enabling us to welcome everyone through our doors with a wider range of activities and programmes.”
Hosting more than 400 events a year and drawing an estimated five million visitors to the park and palace, Alexandra Palace is a major attraction.
The Heritage at Risk programme from Historic England is the source of the funding, which is focused on preserving England’s monumental sites that are at risk and unable to pursue restoration projects without financial backing.
Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: “I’ve always loved Ally Pally and am delighted to hear that the 25th anniversary of our Heritage at Risk programme has coincided with the 150th anniversary of the Palace in such a rewarding way.”
Opened in 1873, Alexandra Palace was severely damaged twice, firstly by a fire in the same year, and again in 1980.
The North East Office Building can be seen behind the Lipton’s tea tram in this archive photograph. (Image: Alexandra Palace)
However, its historical significance has seen charitable efforts to maintain and restore it.
In fact, the area of the Palace out of use has shrunk from 40 per cent to 29 per cent in recent years.
Tom Foxall, regional director of Historic England, said: “Our funding for the north east office building is designed to address the most urgent repair work and act as a springboard to access further funding which will open up the area to the public for the first time.”
The restoration work, which includes removing decayed brickwork and storing historic roof lanterns, begun in December and is expected to last around four months.
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Source: www.times-series.co.uk
This notice was published: 2024-01-14 05:00:00
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