The vision
What's happened already?
Over the last 6 years, Pro Corda have commenced a major transformation of the Leiston Abbey site. This has already included:
- Refurbishment of the 14th century Lady Chapel in the Abbey ruins to transform it into a stunning chamber music performance and teaching space
- Re-thatching and making good the timbering of the Barn concert hall, together with works to the Barn’s gable ends and masonry
- Installing a fully equipped recording studio in the 14th century Guesten Hall
- Adapting both Guesten Hall and Barn to provide disabled access
- Providing a new Box Office entrance to Hall and Barn, and incorporating a sensory garden path entrance which was exhibited as the “Pro Corda Garden” at the 2016 Chelsea Flower Show.
What's next?
With so many hundreds of Pro Cordians each year now staying residentially at Leiston Abbey (Pro Corda’s permanent home) for their courses, our main accommodation – the Abbey Farmhouse which sleeps up to 45 people – has non stop use and is in desperate need of refurbishment.
The refurbishment project launching November 2019 will see major upgrades to plumbing, decorating, guttering, rendering, windows, together with a whole range of new facilities from a new piano in the Tudor room to brand new student recreational facilities.
The house has become an educational and artistic home to so many young people now – including many children with disabilities and special needs. New areas of disabled access will also form a key part of refurbishment.
Such projects are always complex in a property that is half Tudor and half Georgian. But it is vital we carry out this work to preserve the house and as part of our overarching ambition to make Leiston Abbey a place of world class facilities for Europe’s only full time music school devoted entirely to the teaching of chamber music.
How can you get involved?
With so much already achieved across the site on other buildings – from the Barn concert hall to the Chapel to the new recording studio, all supported by grant funders – it is important that the Abbey house refurbishment be a community project. From current students and their families to alumni to the many others who are kind enough to support Pro Corda, we can make this happen together!
There are four ways that you can get involved right now…