Historic pub is latest to suffer structural issues
ANOTHER building in Stratford-upon-Avon town centre has been found to be suffering from major structural problems.
An outhouse on the site of the historic Red Lion pub on Warwick Road has been found to be in a ‘state of dilapidation and in need of major renovation’, according to a structural engineer’s report.
It said one of the walls was leaning, cited problems with the roof, and other cracking around the lintels.
The Red Lion has existed since the late 18th century or possibly earlier, and the building in question is not the main pub building, but an outhouse near to the canal which is currently used as a storage facility and walk-in freezer.
The pub is part of the Whitbread Group PLC which has applied for Listed Building Consent to repair damage to the roof of the outbuilding.
This will involve putting up scaffolding, removing all roof tiles and an inspection of existing battens and rafters and replacing damaged rotten timber structures where necessary.
A spokesperson for Whitbread Group PLC this week said: “We’re currently in the process of applying for Listed Building Consent to repair damage to the roof of the outbuilding.
“This can take some weeks to go through but once gained, we will be in a position to tender for the works and get underway at the soonest opportunity.
“The damage to the building is to the roof and currently there’s no suggestion the building is at risk of collapse. We wouldn’t comment of costs, we never do, due to commercial sensitivity.”
Meanwhile, urgent repair work at Lloyds Bank in Bridge Street has finally begun. In recent weeks the bank has been covered by scaffolding to allow an assessment of the building to take place after cracks were found in the stonework.
A spokesperson from Lloyds said this week: “Maintenance work is currently underway to the exterior of our Stratford-upon-Avon branch.
“The branch will remain open to customers as usual while this is being completed. We are working to get this completed as soon as possible.
Scaffolding is also in place around the Falcon Hotel as part of a multi-million refurbishment project, and has appeared at NatWest on Wood Street, although no one has been able to confirm the reasons why.
