Lakeland Arts will offer for sale an unused building – hoping it can be given a new lease of life.
The ‘Old Grammar School’ – a plot at 9 and 11 Church Walk Kendal – consists of two Grade II listed terraced houses. Lakeland Arts acquired 11 Church Walk in 1969 and number 9 in 2014. Both were in an unmodernised state, with number 9 in a more dilapidated state than number 11. Lakeland Arts continued to stabilise the plot and from the late 2000s until 2022 explored opportunities for redevelopment. Unfortunately, funding bids to date have been unsuccessful and the Old Grammar School has been mainly used for storage.
Now Lakeland Arts will be offering the two terraced houses for sale. As part of this process Lakeland Arts has put in a planning application to separate number 11 from Lakeland Museum and to reinstate the property to residential use. By removing the link between the house and museum Lakeland Arts will be returning the property back to its original state.
Rhian Harris, Chief Executive Lakeland Arts said: “Once restored, this could be a lovely building in the heart of Kendal’s cultural quarter.
“By enabling the Old Grammar School to be sold we are hoping it can be returned to its former glory. It would be fantastic to see it brought back to life.
“Like all cultural organisations, we have been in a process of recovery following the pandemic. Proceeds from the sale of the building will enable us to invest in our collections and programming, helping to start a new chapter for Lakeland Arts. It will offer a substantial contribution towards achieving our future plans for Abbot Hall and Lakeland Museum on our Kendal site.”
Abbot Hall reopened on Saturday 20 May 2023 with a major exhibition by internationally renowned British artist artist Julie Brook.
