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Grade I listed building closes for £2.5m renovation

Clare Wordenin King's Lynn
Clare Worden/BBC Alison Gifford stands on the King's Lynn Quayside with water behind her. On the quay is a small square stone building which is the Custom House. Alison is wearing a blue shirt and a string of white pearls. She has short grey hair and is smiling at the camera. Clare Worden/BBC
Alison Gifford said investment in the building was a statement that the town was "forward looking"

A Grade I listed building described by an architectural historian as one of "the most perfect classical buildings in provincial England" has closed for £2.5m renovation work.

Sir Nikolaus Pevsner praised the design of Custom House in King's Lynn, Norfolk, in his book The Buildings of England.

The property, which was designed by King's Lynn native Henry Bell and originally built as a merchant's exchange in 1683, has been shut for repairs to be carried out on its roof and for a lift to be installed to improve accessibility.

The Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk said the project was financed by the government's Town Deal funding and was expected to take 12 months to complete.

KLWNBC View of King's Lynn Quayside showing a body of water with red brick house either side. Custom House is in the background, a white stone imposing building. The photograph is taken on a sunny, cloudless day and Custom House's reflection can be seen in the water. KLWNBC
When Custom House was built King's Lynn was an international trading power

The stone building, which is topped with a cupola, has a range of classical architectural features and would have been striking when first built in the 17th Century as the surrounding properties would have been made of wood.

Alison Gifford, the chair of the King's Lynn Civic Society, said people living in the town would never have seen anything like it.

"We've got Ionic, doric, all those things, these little cartouches and masks.

"It was one of the first buildings to explore the classical architecture perfectly."

The building was used as a customs house from the early 1700s and remained in use until 1989.

Clare Worden/BBC Andrew Stephenson stands with his hand on an old wooden staircase. He is wearing a blue shirt and striped blue tie. He has short brown hair and wears black glasses. He is smiling at the camera. Clare Worden/BBC
Andrew Stephenson has been championing the project in his role on the Town Deal board

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Andrew Stevenson, from King's Lynn Neighbourhood Board, said improving accessibility by installing a lift at Custom House would mean more people could visit and use the space.

"It was always a building that was admired from the outside, but sadly, we weren't doing enough to get people inside it enough.

"Hopefully with this investment, we can start bringing more and more people into this great iconic building," he added.

Samuel Garrod/KLWNBC Aerial view of King's Lynn Quayside showing brick wharf and the white stone Custom House on the waterside. Red brick properties can be seen in the distance and the spire of a church. Samuel Garrod/KLWNBC
Historic England describes Custom House as a "masterpiece"

The investment in Custom House is designed to try to enhance King's Lynn's reputation as a tourist destination, the authority said.

Work is also under way on the town's Guildhall to develop it into a visitor attraction, which will highlight the venue's Shakespearean connections.

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