Elevate acquires The Booth Hall to protect another piece of city heritage

The developers of the fire-ravaged site at 16-18 High Town in Hereford have bought the neighbouring pub, the historic Booth Hall.

Elevate Property Group is currently preparing the renamed  Alban House site for construction and are in the process of finalising negotiations with a local contractor to handle the complex project to create 18 residential dwellings and two ground floor retail units.

The Booth Hall dates back to 1392 and became a pub in the 15^th century. It is a separate building to 16-18 High Street but was also damaged in the 2010 fire.

Steve Dodd, managing director of Elevate Property Group, said: “The Booth Hall is a beautiful building and it made sense to acquire the property alongside our ongoing work on this historic part of High Town.

“We will initially be using The Booth Hall as a site office and storage facility for the overall project, but when our work on 16-18 High Town is done, we will look to restore the interior and bring it back to life.”

He said work was continuing behind the Grade II façade with county archaeologists continuing to record details of the Saxon rampart dating back to late 9th century AD.

“As responsible developers, we are very conscious of the heritage of the cathedral city of Hereford and we want to ensure that we respect the history of the site, while ultimately bringing to the market much needed accommodation in this popular part of the city.”

He added: “We have selected a local contractor who has an impressive track record for sympathetic renovations on historic buildings including church and other ecclesiastical projects.

“Their commitment to quality and their work ethic mirrors our own.”

The project is being overseen by development managers BACE Construction Consultants.

Provisional prices are £135,000 for the one bedroom apartments, ranging up to £350,000. Selling agents are Arkwright Owens in Hereford on 01432 267213.

For more information, see Alban house.