Contractor takes over Forty Hall

R G Carter, based in Cambridge, have already started on site and are expected to remain at Forty Hall for a year, during which time it will be transformed.

Each room will be created to tell the story of first owner Sir Nicholas, and the Hall will be improved as a flexible multi use community and arts venue.

Two new activity spaces will support learning programming and family visits, whilst a new Interpretation Centre will tell the story of Elsyng Palace for the first time. The kitchen and main bedchamber will be recreated through replica furniture, with the other historic interiors being lightly dressed in the relevant period.

Forty Hall's design team have progressed the physical scheme, the main feature of which remains a wonderful recreation of an original Jacobean staircase. The reinstatement of the original circulation achieved by this new staircase opens up a host of opportunities for better understanding the Hall and the relationships between different rooms. Accompanied by a new passenger lift, all visitors will share physical access to the first and second floors.

Cllr Bambos Charalambous, Cabinet member for Culture said "We are delighted to welcome R G Carter to be our consultants to work on this important renovation work.

"Over the next year the Hall will undergo a transformation which will not only make it easier for people to understand the fascinating history of this wonderful building but will make it into a leading cultural and arts venue for London".