A PROJECT to repair three ‘nationally significant’ Victorian summer houses on the Stoney Road Allotments has received a £63,000 cash boost from Historic England.
The summer houses at Stoney Road are part of a detached town garden, now known as allotments.
The summer houses are in danger of being lost through deterioration and inappropriate repair work, with the National England grant being used to fund the restoration of the houses on plots nine,13 and 47.
Once repaired, the summer gardens will be allowed to be used.
Only a few of these town gardens remain, with only five on the National Heritage List for England.
Five of the summer houses at Stoney Road have been Grade II listed and the site is one of the few in the country where many of its original buildings have survived.
The Stoney Road site lies within the boundary of the former 12th century Cheylesmore Park which belonged to the Earl of Chester.
In 1807, a small area of the parks gardens were laid out to be used as town gardens, and today there are around 80 plots on the site.
In 1935 the City Council bought Stoney Road Garden, which became Stoney Road Allotments.
The grant confirmation comes on National allotments week, which lasts until August 13.
Historic England Midlands Regional Director Louise Brennan said: “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate National Allotments Week than by supporting the nationally significant site of Stoney Road Allotments.
“It’s an important community resource which has been the backdrop to many people’s gardening lives for nearly 90 years.
“The site has retained its wonderful hedged structure which shows how it originally developed as detached gardens with mature fences, rather than allotments with little or no boundaries.”
