A nationally-important historic building has been shrouded in scaffolding ready for some major conservation work.
The Bar Convent, on Blossom Street opposite Micklegate Bar, houses an 18th century chapel, a modern exhibition, an award-winning 22-bedroom guest house, café, gift shop, garden and three meeting rooms.
The restoration and project, costing £700,000, will involve the repair and redecoration of more than 280 windows.
Numbers 19-21 Blossom Street will be re-roofed in Welsh slate which will improve thermal insulation. And there will be a host of minor repairs to the building’s brickwork and stonework.
It is all external work, so the Bar Convent will remain open throughout the project.
The historical significance of the Bar Convent is reflected in parts of the building being Grade I listed, and others Grade II, which means all the building work must be conducted within strict guidelines.
Bar Convent history
Famed for being Britain’s oldest living convent and the country’s second ever school for girls, the Bar Convent has a rich and diverse history.
It was founded in 1686 by the Congregation of Jesus, whose foundress is Mary Ward, at a time when education for girls was rare and it was illegal to be Catholic.
Despite this prohibition, a group of brave religious sisters, now known as the Congregation of Jesus, opened this secret convent and their legacy lives on today with the Bar Convent being central to the global order, and more than 200 schools worldwide bear Mary Ward’s name.
In April 1942, part of the convent was destroyed by a Luftwaffe bomb. Five nuns died.
Work on the conservation project is due for completion in about six months.
Asked when the scaffolding would come down, Bar Convent spokesperson said: “Different sections of the building will be completed at different stages.
“However, we intend to remove the scaffolding around The Bar Convent Heritage Centre during May.”
York-based CG Building & Restoration Ltd have been tasked with completing the conservation work, working closely with city project managers Gate & Bar.
James Foster, chief operations officer at the Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre said: “We work continuously to keep the buildings in good condition but given their age, every few years it is inevitable that more substantial conservation work needs to be undertaken.
“This latest project is our first major programme since 2015, giving us the chance to renew some significant exterior features of the building with the help of local construction professionals who know the city and the Bar Convent’s heritage extremely well.”
Great responsibility
Vernon Carter, managing director of CG Building & Restoration said he was thrilled to be working on such an historic building: “The work required suits our expertise perfectly, and we look forward to making our contribution to the long term future of a building that is not only locally significant, but internationally.”
As the main contractor, CG Building & Restoration is organising all the logistical, access and safety measures needed for the building team to complete their work, including scaffolding which spans the whole external wall of the Bar Convent facing onto Blossom Street.
They will also install a temporary roof structure for the re-roofing works to ensure disruption to residents, hotel guests, visitors and other stakeholders is minimised during the work.
Project managers Gate & Bar have actually been working with the Bar Convent for the past 12 months.
They have been involved in assessing the conservation requirements in detail, conducting extensive surveys of the building, including through the use of a drone, and advising on an appropriate scope of works.
Gate & Bar director Nathan Hughes said “This project comes with a great level of responsibility to safeguard the future of the building.
“Our team are now familiar faces at the Bar Convent given the significant time spent there to understand the complexities of both the conservation and current use of the site.
“We are delighted to have appointed CG Building & Restoration as main contractor to work with ourselves and the client to work towards such a meaningful goal.”