Planning approval has been granted to the first phase of plans to restore a Grade II-listed Georgian era house museum.
Baysgarth House Museum in Barton-upon-Humber has been closed to the public since 2019. North Lincolnshire Council agreed last year to lease it to The Ropewalk for 15 years, as the organisation leads restoration plans for the site.
It applied in the summer for permission for the first phase of its restoration plans. These include the creation of a café in the existing stable block, and a small ice cream unit in a store building.
That has now received planning approval, another landmark step on the way to Baysgarth House’s revival. The ice cream unit will be in the former toilet block in the stable and courtyard area, since used for storage. It will sell other refreshments besides ice cream in the summer months, and the facility was called for by users of Baysgarth Park when events are held there, such as the parkrun.
Meanwhile, the café would be a sister to the one already run at The Ropewalk, run by the same team, and serve the same variety of food. Pre-application consultations in 2020 showed strong support for a café at Baysgarth House, with 82 per cent in favour.
The first phase will also involve re-pointing and repairs of lodge buildings, and the south frontage of Baysgarth House. The application states later phases will concentrate on the museum’s restoration itself. When reopened, the museum will include the story of the Nelthorpe family, the House’s original owners, and Barton’s link to the development of the bicycle.
North Lincolnshire Council has not only leased the site to The Ropewalk, but also declared Baysgarth House a community asset and committed £450,000 to the restoration scheme. £250,000 from the previous government’s Community Ownership Fund and £150,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund are also pledged to the project.