Work to restore a historic Grade II listed building that has been empty for almost four years is under way.
Conservation works to repair the historic character of Lowestoft’s former Post Office back to its former glory began this week.
With the former Post Office, on London Road North, built for the town it served to combine several other sites which existed across Lowestoft prior to the 1880s.
The building has gone through several phases of development between the 1880s and early 20th century.
It comes as planning and listed building consent has been approved for works to fix the roof, repair the windows, carry out conservation of stonework on the façade and reconfigure the ground floor windows to restore the entrance to the central bay of the building, as per the original design.
The existing ramp will also be repositioned to improve the appearance of the building.
These repairs will be funded through the London Road, Lowestoft High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) project, financed by Historic England and East Suffolk Council, delivered in partnership with Lowestoft Town Council and East Suffolk Building Preservation Trust.
Funding will also be made available for the conservation repairs through the Towns Fund, money which has been allocated to East Suffolk Council from central government to drive the sustainable economic regeneration of towns.
With local contractors R G Carter taking possession of the building from last Monday (January 17), the work is expected to be completed by early summer.
James Wilson, director and general manager of R G Carter, said: “We are delighted to be working on this unique restoration project and playing our part to bring such an important local building back to its former glory.
"It will look fantastic when it’s finished and help to preserve the rich architectural heritage in this town.”
An aim of the High Street Heritage Action Zone is to share knowledge about conservation repairs and how to look after historic buildings.
Through the conservation repairs at the Post Office, opportunities will be provided for local people to visit the site to take part in interactive conservation seminars, with further information to follow.
The repair works will help facilitate a new use for the building, with plans to be announced later in the year.
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