I secured a Transformational Project Grant from the Architectural Heritage’s Fund’s Transforming Places through Heritage programme , itself part of the Future High Streets Fund, and project managed the refurbishment of the building.
A key project for the Buckinghamshire Historic Buildings Trust (BHBT), the Grade II high street building dates from 1399 and is the earliest surviving building in High Wycombe other than the church. Unfortunately, the upper office areas had been steadily deserted leaving only part of the ground floor operating as a struggling retail unit. BHBT has restored the building for mixed-use as a commercial bar on the ground floor and a separately accessible venue/activity space on the first and second floors for hire by community groups. The planned flexible adaptation of the building’s upper floors, with platform lift access and WC facilities for disabled people, creates good scope to host meetings, events and classes. The project is located at the centre of High Wycombe’s successful bid to become a Future High Streets Fund zone. 2/3 High Street is identified within these plans and the project forms a key part of the Council's efforts to draw footfall to the High Street in the older part of the town by animating a ‘heritage cluster’ of buildings, and in particular to meet the need to improve the night time offer in the centre of High Wycombe, catering to a young commuter demographic and student population.