Llancaiach Fawr Manor House, near Nelson, is a step closer in securing a £900,000 lottery grant to revamp the historical building.
An application for £943,200 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has passed the first stage in the process meaning more detailed plans need to be submitted to the grant-awarding body.
The £1m project to update the house, originally built between 1548 and 1565, and open it to more visitors include developing the attics as servants’ quarters, increasing access for visitors with disabilities and creating a more authentic interior.
Diane Walker, general manager of Llancaiach Fawr, welcomed the decision by the HLF to pass the project at he first stage.
She said: “I am delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has given its initial support for this project. We have called our project ‘Developing the Past’ because we want to develop the way in which we present the past to a modern audience and to recreate an interior which uses the best of traditional skills and techniques blended with the best that modern technology can achieve to address issues of energy efficiency and sustainability.”
Jennifer Stewart, head of HLF in Wales, said: “Llancaiach Fawr Manor is one of the most important gentry houses of the 16th and 17th century period to survive, and a well-established, much-loved heritage attraction.
“As well as opening up parts of the house which have not been seen by the public before, this project aims to deliver an innovative range of training opportunities from traditional skills to multimedia production.
“We have awarded a first round pass in recognition of the project’s potential and the benefits it could bring to the local area. There is huge competition for our grants so Caerphilly County Borough Council now needs to develop its plans fully in order to compete for a firm award.”
The opening of the servants’ quarters in the attics will be to give visitors a behind-the-scenes glimpse of life for servants working in the house during the 17th Century. The project will also see all modern heating and lighting in the manor stripped out and all fireplaces opened.
Rhymney Valley District Council, the predecessor local authority before Caerphilly County Borough Council, purchased the building and restored it as a heritage attraction in 1991.
Members of the public are being invited to see the plans at Llancaiach Fawr between 6pm and 8pm on Friday June 22 and between 10am and 4pm on Sunday June 24.