HIGH Wycombe’s second oldest building is set to get a £350,000 makeover as heritage leaders aim to bring it back into use as a cocktail bar and community space.
Number 2 and 3 High Street dates back to 1399 and is a Grade II listed building, making it the town’s second-oldest structure behind the All Saints Parish Church.
Currently, only the ground floor of the site is operating as a shop but as the Free Press revealed last month, plans are in place to turn part of the site — formerly the old Wheatsheaf Inn pub — into a cocktail and tapas bar.
READ MORE: Plans for cocktail bar at High Wycombe's second oldest building laid bare
The transformation has taken a big step forward after Buckinghamshire Historic Buildings Trust (BHBT) received a £350,000 grant from the Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) to revitalise the High Street staple.
James Moir, Chair of BHBT, said: “This award is the culmination of three years’ hard graft to acquire this gem of a building, establish its significance and secure an anchor tenant sympathetic to the Trust’s wider vision.
“All this has only been possible as a result of the AHF’s support at the viability and development stages as well as critical hand-holding by the council.
“The Trust is excited to be creating a focal community space which will delight in using its heritage as a means of encouraging everyone to linger in and cherish the town’s undervalued historic quarter.”
Converting the building is a project at the heart of High Wycombe’s bid to secure a share of a £1 billion government funding pot set aside to secure the future of the country’s high streets.
READ MORE: Here's when the new High Wycombe cocktail bar could open
Matthew Mckeague, CEO of the Architectural Heritage Fund, added: “The AHF grants empower and finance those charities and social enterprises that are stepping up to facilitate change in their high streets and town centres by redesigning and diversifying the use of historic buildings, encouraging a brighter future for the towns of which they form a part.”
Developers of the building want to be able to hold meetings, events and classes at the revamped site, which is the subject of a pending licensing application.
If approved, the as-yet-unnamed cocktail bar could show plays and films and play live and recorded music into the early hours of the morning.
The second floor will be mainly for community use.
READ MORE: Botanic bar and garden set to open
Planning documents reveal the Grade-II listed building will have a huge makeover before becoming a mixology/tapas bar serving “unique” cocktails and “British local produce tapas”.
The first floor will have a “mixology/speakeasy” use from Thursday to Sunday, with opportunities for community use from Monday to Wednesday.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel