Work begins on £1.38M renovation at The Malt Cross
Work has begun at Nottingham’s historic Malt Cross following the award of a £1.38M Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant.
With keys exchanged and builders moving in, the renovation will help transform one of the city’s best-loved venues into a multipurpose heritage and creative arts centre for public use.
Two previously unused floors of the building on St James’s Street will be renovated alongside an 11th century cave directly underneath the public house area of the Malt Cross.
Once complete, the rooms will host an array of learning and heritage activities, complete with a new space for music practice and an exhibition gallery.
Jo Cox-Brown, chief executive of the Malt Cross, said the start of the building works signals an exciting time for the venue:
“We are absolutely thrilled that work has begun as we move into a new era at The Malt Cross. The renovation will be of benefit to people of all ages, with the new heritage and learning space allowing people to express themselves in a unique environment.
“We are also hoping to add another dimension to tourism in the city and we are sure our original cave will prove to be a big draw. This is an extremely exciting time not only for us, but also for the city of Nottingham. We can’t wait to see the how The Malt Cross looks when work is completed.”
The renovation is expected to take roughly four months with The Malt Cross reopening its doors in October 2014.
The Malt Cross Trust has called upon help from William Saunders, multi-disciplinary design consultants and Taylor Pearson Construction Ltd for the project.
Matt Hodgkins, Contracts Manager for Taylor Pearson Construction Ltd, said it was an important contract win for them:
“The Malt Cross is one of Nottingham’s most iconic venues so to be asked to lead the renovation was extremely exciting and also challenging. We are looking forward to helping transform the venue into something the whole community can enjoy for years to come.”
‘The renovations will also provide a great deal of work for local people and businesses as we strive to complete the works in a relatively short space of time within the busy City centre environment’
Steve Saunders Lead Consultant and Partner at William Saunders said:
“We have been involved in this exciting and challenging project since its inception in 2011. We are delighted to have had opportunity to work on such a unique building with its many weird and wonderful eccentricities.
“Now the works are on site the building is continuing to reveal itself and some of its hidden features. Everyone who has worked on this project has been drawn into the team spirit invoked by the Client team and more importantly have developed a real love of the unique building that is the Malt Cross.”
For further details on the Malt Cross, visit maltcross.com.
