WORK to protect and restore an histoic building in South Gloucestershire has begun.

The first phase of work to restore the Grade one listed, Whitfield Tabernacle building, is now complete.

The building set in the heart of the Kingswood conservation area has been stabilised following years of neglect, with a newly installed roof now protecting it from the elements and security measures in place to safeguard its long-term future.

South Gloucestershire Council is working closely with the Tabernacle Trust and local company, Ferguson Mann Architects, to fully restore the building for the benefit of the local community.

The next phase of the project will see the full restoration of the building, bringing it back into use and opening to the public.

Work is expected to be complete by the end 2023 when the Tabernacle will open as a community building and performing arts space, to be enjoyed by the people of Kingswood and the wider area.

A time capsule was discovered during the restoration having lay undiscovered in the walls of the building since the 1930s. It was placed around 90 years ago by the Tabernacle’s then caretaker.

Inside was an order of service and a page from the Western Daily Press which covered an event in 1913 when a plaque was unveiled to commemorate George Whitefield.

 

Leader of South Gloucestershire Council, councillor Toby Savage recently met with members of the Tabernacle Trust to see how the work to unlock the potential of the building and give it a new lease of life was progressing.

He said: “It is fantastic to see how work to restore the Tabernacle is beginning to take shape and it is immensely satisfying after the years of hard work it has taken to get to this stage. I am thrilled to see it being revitalised and being put back into public use as a community building and performing arts space.

Tabernacle Trust Secretary, Kim Scudamore added: “To see the restored pillars, new roof, windows, and security doors gave us a glimpse of what the restored space will look like when the full development is achieved next year.”

The stabilisation work has been funded by the West of England Combined Authority through its Love our High Streets project, and by Historic England.