Dover District Council is set to reopen the Roman Painted House to the public from Saturday 14 September to form part of Dover’s Heritage Open Weekend.
This follows news in April that DDC needed to carry out essential maintenance works, which are now nearing completion. The sign off for relevant building safety inspections is now proposed for week commencing 9 September and the site is set to open to the public from Saturday 14 September, subject to approval from the health and safety team.
For the Heritage Open Weekend, the Painted House is set to open Saturday and Sunday (14/15 September) from 10am to 4pm. The attraction will then be set to open to the public, free of charge every Saturday until the end of November 2024. It will then be open from February half term holiday 2025 to the end of November 2025 in line with other Heritage based attractions. Guided educational visits and group tours will be available to book at a small charge.
Works to the Roman Painted House to make it compliant and safe have included new electrics, new lighting, new toilets, structural repairs, a new fire escape, stair repairs, a handrail replacement, a new floor and other health and safety works which has included the removal of mould and environmental monitoring. There will also be a programme of ongoing works.
DDC looks forward to the Roman Painted House representing one of three DDC owned, operated and subsidised attractions in Dover, alongside the Dover Museum & Bronze Age Boat Gallery and the refurbished Dover Maison Dieu.
DDC and the Dover Roman Painted House Trust (the previous operator of the site and monument since the 1970s) were concerned about the declining condition of the building and monument, especially the monument’s painted surface. DDC requested and instigated related investigations in June/July 2023.
The Dover Roman Painted House Trust made the difficult decision to return the building, grounds, contents and monument to DDC in October 2023, via a deed of surrender.
Upon the building and monument’s return to the Council, and with the Dover Roman Painted House Trust’s knowledge and support, these investigations and works have continued at pace, including dialogue and discussion with Historic England, who we are also working with. Significant and essential environment and remedial works have been required – in the range of £85,000 – to ensure safe public access can be restored.
The Council continues to work closely with the Dover Roman Painted House Trust on the future of the site.
DDC and the Dover Roman Painted House Trust plan to collaborate and submit a funding application to support a major ‘Roman Dover’ project. This would not only better protect this scheduled monument but would also publicly open and protect Dover’s Roman Bath House, to support significant ongoing regeneration and create one of the best Roman sites in Britain.
Cllr Kevin Mills, Leader of Dover District Council said: “We are very pleased to have been able to carry out significant works to enable the Roman Painted House to reopen, and we thank our partners for their hard work and support, including the Roman Painted House Trustees. This is another key catalyst for the regeneration of Dover, as part of our ongoing and significant investment in heritage, tourism and culture.”
Notes:
The opening of the Roman Painted House would form part of the UK-wide Heritage Open Days programme (Britain’s largest festival of history and culture) with a whole range of sites opening to the public for free between 6 and 15 September. Dover’s historic Maison Dieu and Dover Museum are also taking part in this year’s Heritage Open Days.
The ‘Roman Dover’ capital project would be located within a dedicated and sustainable cover building with new interpretation and education space.
Following its excavation in the 1970s, the Roman Painted House was leased to the Dover Roman Painted House Trust who managed and staffed the site entirely with volunteers. It is reported that since opening, a total of over 700,000 visitors have visited the Roman Painted House building and monument.
Posted on 21 August 2024