Washington's ancestral home, near Banbury, is to receive a financial lifeline to allow essential restoration

The Historic Houses Foundation (HHF) is one of the leading funders of architectural conservation and one of the only bodies able to support buildings in private ownership. Sulgrave Manor was one of 18 nationally important properties in England that have been chosen to benefit from new funds.

The awards have been made by the foundation's eight volunteer Trustees whose expertise has enabled identification of projects most in need of support.

Sulgrave Manor is a Tudor farmhouse, originally home to the ancestors of George Washington, the first President of an independent America.

The house contains one of the best collections of Washington memorabilia in Britain and is a must-see stop for visitors from the United States as well an important resource for education in Anglo-American relations and American politics. The HHF funds will allow the repair of the roof of the 18th century brewhouse used by the Washington family.

Work will begin immediately and continue over the winter months before the start of the new tourist season in Spring 2021 and is expected to provide welcome employment to a wide range of traditional craftsmen and building professionals in addition to other local employment opportunities.

Alison Ray, CEO of the Sulgrave Manor Trust said: “We are so grateful to the Historic Houses Foundation for this capital grant. We use the original brewhouse as our main visitor entrance and gift shop and we are really looking forward to getting repairs underway to restore this special historic building.”

Norman Hudson OBE, Chairman of the Historic Houses Foundation said: “Our grants go to historic buildings in all categories of ownership, so range far wider than the National Trust. That we have been selected as a delivery partner for this money indicates that the Government likes what we do and recognises the exceptionally cost efficient way in which we achieve it. It is good news for historic buildings and good news for jobs and the local community”

* The Historic Houses Foundation is a major beneficiary of the Heritage Stimulus Fund, recently announced by the UK Government and Historic England, which will provide invaluable support for restoration work on some of England’s most important and vulnerable historic buildings.

The foundation will now be able to set in place a programme of urgent work that would not otherwise have been possible. Over the past 17 years the Foundation has distributed over £11 million in grant aid to nearly 250 vital restoration projects in England and Wales.