A planning application has been lodged with the Lake District National Park Authority to carry out more than £100,000-worth of external renovations to Keswick’s Grade II listed Moot Hall.
Tony Lywood chairman of the Battersby Hall Trust, which owns the historic building, submitted the application which extends to some roof timber repairs, removal of non-breathable masonry paints and general redecoration of guttering and woodwork with woodworm treatment where necessary.
Eroded mortar pointing to the clock tower will also be repaired with traditional lime sand mortars.
“The repairs to the Moot Hall are long overdue and the Battersby Hall Charity intend to carry them out to a standard that Keswick can be proud of,” said Mr Lywood.
“We will try to keep the disruption to a minimum. Ideally I would have liked the repairs over the winter but the lime putty historically required for pointing cannot be used in very cold weather.”
An impact assessment submitted with the planning application states: “The proposed modest changes in the appearance of the hall will have no harmful effects upon the significance of the building as its fabric will remain unchanged.”
The Moot Hall is a Grade II* listed building and was built in 1813 to replace a Tudor Court House that served as as store for Queen Elizabeth I’s share of precious metals from the mines in the area at that time.
A decision on the application reference7/2021/2149 will be made by the Lake District National Park Authority.
