Pictured above: (l-r)  Richard Hill, Operations Director Bonsers Restoration, Cllr Geoff Smith, EBC Lead Member Regeneration & Planning, Francesca Machin, EBC Project Officer Townscape Heritage Initiation, Andy Baume, EBC Property Officer, Cllr Chris Corbett, Leader EBC

Thanks to a specialist buildings restoration company from Nottinghamshire, visitors to an historic chapel are able to use the front door again after almost four decades of being locked out.

For the first time in over 35 years, visitors at the historic West Park Cemetery Chapel in Long Eaton can finally use the front door again, after Bonsers Restoration had a replica 19th century key made.

After the front door key was lost, visitors were forced to use the back door. Bonsers, which has been working on the upgrading of the chapel, got a key specially made and presented it to Councillor Geoffrey Smith of Erewash Borough Council.

Richard Hill, business development manager at Kirklington-based Bonsers, said: "The chapel dates back from 1889. In the process of refurbishing the original front doors we realised that the lock was an old wooden lock and that it would be great for the chapel if it was in use. We sourced a specialist historic key maker in Nottingham to help us.

"Because we had been assisting with the renovation of the chapel, we thought it would be a nice touch to get a new key made so that people can finally use the front door. We thought it would be nice to make a special presentation of the key to mark the end of this really interesting restoration project."

Coun Smith, the council's lead member for regeneration and planning, said: "The council and our contractors have worked together to renovate and repair the building with great care and pride.

"This was clearly demonstrated by the Bonsers team when they wanted to go that extra mile to commission a key for the original lock. It was a wonderful gesture and symbolises the spirit of working together."

Mansell was the main contractor on the two-month restoration project to repair and restore the grade II listed chapel. The refurbishment was carried out as part of the council's Townscape Heritage Initiative. 

As part of the renovation, Mansell managed the project to create a new tiled roof and restoration work to the external of the building replace damaged and missing stones along with pointing in traditional lime mortar. The project also saw the repairs to the external dormer roofs and turned finials', cast iron rainwater goods and internal cleaning to the mosaic tiled floor.

Richard added: "The chapel looks fantastic. We sympathetically cleaned the front elevation stonework and re-constructed the chimney stack at the rear of the building as well as refurbishing the original cast iron gates. We found that there were 12 layers of paint and with detailed date timing, we were able to find out the original colour of the gates used in 1889."

Mark Griffin of Mansell said: "Mansell is proud to have carried out this work which has allowed the re-emergence of this ornate building and enhances the experience of all its visitors."

Andy Baume, property officer of Erewash Borough Council said: "This project has been funded through our Townscape Heritage Initiative and has been a great example of partnership working. Our contractors were appointed through the East Midlands Property Alliance (EMPA) Framework which enables the Council and partners to take ownership and work together to achieve the best possible results within a value for money budget. This is clearly demonstrated by Bonsers going that extra mile to commission a key for the original lock, a symbolic gesture that emphasises the spirit of partnering through the EMPA Framework."

Erewash Borough Council owns the Lime Grove Cemetery Chapel and its grounds, and has launched the restoration through its Long Eaton Townscape Heritage Initiative - a major project to transform historic parts of the town thanks to substantial funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and other partners.

During recent years it has been the target of vandalism and theft of lead from the roof, which in turn has caused water to seep into the building and cause further damage to interior surfaces.

In addition, the Grade II listed cemetery gates, their supports and the railings will be repaired - along with the showpiece Coronation Gates and railings at the entrance to West Park from King Street.

The Long Eaton Townscape Heritage Initiative is an exciting project which is working to conserve and regenerate the town and was launched two years ago thanks to major funding totaling nearly £2.7m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Derby and Derbyshire Economic Partnership, Erewash Borough Council and potential match funding from owners of historic buildings.