Grant awarded for historic forge

Viewers voted that Chedham's Yard should be restored to its former glory

A wheelwright and blacksmith's workshop which won a BBC show has been awarded a £780,000 grant to restore it.

The grant awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund relates to Warwickshire's 19th Century Chedham's Yard, which won the BBC's Restoration Village in 2006.

The site in Wellesbourne is due to become a visitor and education centre under a scheme costing more than £1m.

Earlier this month Stratford-on-Avon District Council granted planning permission.

Charitable trust

Chedham's Yard, which closed in 1965, won the BBC programme after viewers voted that it should be restored to its former glory.

It was owned and run by seven generations of the Chedham family.

The parish council, which owns the site, said it was due to open in the half-term holiday in October 2010 and was expected to be fully open in the spring of 2011.

It is intended that the running of the yard will be handed over to a charitable trust next October.

The £780,000 grant is on top of £50,000 already received from the lottery fund for planning the project.

Specifications will be put together for contracts which need to be awarded.

Tenders will be sought from building contractors, landscape gardeners and others.