Great White Horse Hotel, Ipswich, receives renovation fund

The Great White Horse Hotel played host to author Charles Dickens during its use as the town's main lodging house. 

It closed to guests in 2008 because it was no longer able to cater to the needs of 21st century guests. 

The hotel has now received a £99,400 grant through The National Lottery Heritage Fund to lay the foundation the secure the long-term future of the building. 

The funding will be used to renovate the building and create a community and heritage hub for the town centre as well as over pop-up events and activities in the town centre. 

Sandeep Dayal, who is one of the driving forces behind the project, said: "We are absolutely delighted to have received this funding which will enable us to take our plans forward and allow us to prepare for the major renovation of this historic asset.

"This is the first step in a major project and we are pleased to see the lottery supporting our vision."

There was mystery surrounding what would take over the building as adverts appeared offering the Grade II listed building to let.

The hotel reopened at the start of last year with 27 hotel rooms available to stay with a number of websites offering rooms at a budget price.

READ MORE: New £10m Suffolk heritage project could transform St Edmundsbury's Abbey

The site was previously used by Starbucks and Cotswold Outdoor (Image: Lucy Taylor)

However, there was concern it would be at risk of permanent closure due to its deteriorating condition and was placed on Historic England's Heritage at Risk register in November 2023. 

READ MORE: £9,000 made available to create summer fun for young people in Ipswich

In the next year essential surveys will be carried out to enable the renovation process to start.

Over the course of the project, there will be opportunities for people living in Ipswich to contribute ideas on how the ground floor can be used to best serve the community and regenerate the area.