Grants 2026

NATIONAL LOTTERY HERITAGE FUND RESILIENCE GRANT

Work continues on this £154,729 grant for securing the future of Woodchester Mansion and its environment in 2026. Follow this link for more details→

Movement for Good

We are very pleased to have received a £1000 award from the Benefact Group Movement for Good  prize draw, which will be used for improvements in the Mansion.

CONSERVATION OF DRAWING ROOM BAY WINDOW

In May 2026 work commenced on conservation of the leaky drawing room bay window. The original temporary roofing consisted of corrugated asbestos sheet. A combination of this and the bitumen-lined gutters let in water during heavy rainstorms. This was causing internal damage to the vault in the bay window.

The bay will be re-roofed in terne coated stainless steel and the gutters re-lined and connected to the two eagle gargoyles – which are well wrapped up during the repairs.

The work, costing some £45,000, will be funded by contributions from the Mansion Trust’s maintenance fund, Stroud District Council, and a legacy from the family of a one-time trustee of the Mansion.

 Update Mid-June:

The unsightly asbestos sheet has been removed, revealing the timber support below, which is in reasonably good condition. The image below was taken from inside the Mansion.

In the next image (above), the planks have now been removed, the areas in the frame where the wood had rotted repaired, and insulation is going into the space above the vault.

This picture is taken from the scaffolding outside the window, and shows that the small amount of old timber that was rotten has been replaced. The main problem causing the leaks appeared to be the bitumen lined gutters. These had distorted with time, and the back surface had moved, creating a gap between the edge of the roof and the gutter. Water was able to flow through this down onto the vault below. The gutters have now been repaired and re-sealed.

Update July:

The next stage – battens in place. Finally (below) the terne-coated stainless steel is installed.