800-Year-Old Listed Building Undergoes Ambitious Restoration

An 800-year-old listed building in Dover is in the process of some significant restoration work that will preserve some of the legacy of leading Victorian neo-Gothic architects. BBC News reports that the Maison Dieu town hall in Kent will also be permanently open to the public for the first time in its history when the work is completed in 2025.

The Grade I listed building was originally founded as a pilgrim’s resting place, before being used as a victualling yard and since the 1830s, Dover’s Town Hall. A £4.27m National Lottery Heritage Fund grant has been awarded to help fund the £10.5m restoration project, which began in 2022. 

Cllr Trevor Bartlett, Leader of Dover District Council, said: “We’re delighted to see work underway on the Council’s biggest heritage restoration project to date. The project will bring the Maison Dieu to life as one of the most significant civic heritage buildings in the country, ensuring that it plays a key role in the future of Dover as a heritage, cultural and community venue.

He added: “Bringing a restoration project of this size to reality has taken a huge amount of work by specialist architects and conservators, and the in-house team at DDC, and would not have been possible without the incredible support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Wolfson Foundation, Dover Society and Dover Town Council.”

The building has an internationally significant decorative scheme that was designed by the renowned Victorian neo-Gothic architect William Burges (1827-1881). He created ornate designs including a striking wyvern dragon painted onto the decorative plasterwork ceiling.