Ross-on-Wye Market House receives funding from Wolfson Foundation for urgent repairs

Ross-on-Wye Town Council has been awarded a grant of £50,000 from the Wolfson Foundation towards the urgent repairs which are needed to restore and protect Ross-on-Wye’s historic Grade II* listed Market House. This is in addition to the £112,780 grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Over the years the Market House has suffered extensive stone erosion and urgently requires specialist conservation. The stone window surrounds are so badly eroded that there is a serious risk of the glass falling out and the windows being boarded up. This would severely restrict use of the building, jeopardising its future, and harming the character of the town.

The work will not only be for conservation and restoration repairs to the fabric of the building, but there are also a number of legacy projects planned, including new interpretation boards to tell the story of the Market House and its wider historical context, and an app-based tour telling the history of Ross, which will provide an engaging walk of the town, and is due to launch in the coming weeks.

Working with local Nature and Wildlife Groups we will seek to create a ‘Hedgehog Hub’ to share the story of the hedgehog as the town’s historic emblem in order to raise awareness of the serious decline in hedgehog numbers and engage people with wildlife conservation.

At the end of the work a special exhibition, in partnership with Made in Ross, will be launched to celebrate the building and its heritage.

The works is due to start this Spring, with final completion expected to be approximately November.