Iona Lennon - What's happening at the Fleece Hotel?

John Jameson introduced Ionna, after a very brief mention of his connection with The Fleece, which was that Gloucester Round Table met there for many years before it closed in 2002 and was sold. The site was purchased by the Council in 2011, who have made several attempts to go into partnership with various organisations (notably the YMCA) but all have failed due to the high restoration costs.

The title of the talk given by Ionna is misleading, as well as the ‘What’s Happening’, we were given a complete history of the site it’s rooms, construction and so much more. It will be impossible for me to even come near to mentioning all that we were told about.

Ionna started with a comprehensive list of all of the individuals companies and organisations that are involved with the restoration and regeneration of the site. The most noteworthy were the last owners of the property who came up to Gloucester to meet with Ionna and give her a valuable insight into the last days of the Hotel.

The site is a third of an acre in size and April this year saw the start of a de-risk assessment of the site, which it is hoped will be complete early next year. It is in part a Grade 1 listed building and it is hoped that some areas of the site will also be granted listed status.

The site has a 12th century aspect, part of a Benedictine Monastery (The Monks Retreat). There are 15th century timber frames, which can be linked to the Cathedral, possibly built by workers also working on the Cathedral and other buildings in Gloucester, as part of catering for pilgrims visiting the tomb of Edward II. Other additions to the building have also been made, making it a treasure trove of building techniques e.g the roof of the Great Hall and the wattle and daub walls. A lot to consider when deciding what, and in what order, to restore.

A start has been made and large numbers of wood samples have been taken for dendrochronology, to confirm or disprove the age of the various buildings and extensions. It is probable that the age of some areas of the building will have to be revised.

The site is part of The Blackfriars Master Plan and when open will show how it looked 500 years ago (these plans were shown to us tonight). The fabric of the building will be repaired, the black and white front will be removed, the Great Hall opened, the roof of which was built of oak and is the best part of the site.

Lottery funding will be applied for and £10,000,000 is needed to start and take at least 5 years to complete.

Security is a problem and what is seen on CCTV is very worrying and the fear of damage by vandals is ever present, especially the fear of fire.

There were a number of questions which gave rise to more information of the site.

Richard Allison