AN HISTORICAL Knutsford building is undergoing 14 weeks of refurbishment thanks to action taken by the Forum of Private Business.

The Grade II listed Ruskin Rooms building, in Drury Lane, home to a several Knutsford businesses, is leased out by landlords Manchester based ‘Cringle’.

Ian Cass, director of the Forum of Private Business- a membership based organisation, said that they would have moved out if improvements were not made to the building as it was started to fall into disrepair.

“We are chuffed to bits with the refurbishment,” he told the Guardian. “We didn’t want to move out of Knutsford, we didn’t want to leave the centre of the town and we love that building.

“So the fact that we are able to stay is great. We are delighted that we have a building that we are very fond of being refurbished to suit our needs and we are going to have a building to be proud of again.

As part of the refurbishments on the Ruskin Rooms, which was designed by renowned architect Richard Harding Watt and built at the turn of the 20th Century, will undergo exterior and interior works.

All of the rendering on the outside of the building will be replaced, as well as all of the windows. The tower will also be renovated to fix a large crack that has developed on its side.

Ian said that due to the listed status of the building, every part of the building which is removed to be renovated or replaced, must be returned ‘in good order’.

“The whole of the first floor is being refurbished,” he said. “We are going to be moving into the other half of the top floor, which is also being completely refurbished.

“They are going to be putting hot water in, which is a big deal because there’s none at the moment. Everyone’s really enthusiastic. All of the distraction and the noise will be really worth it.”

The work has already begun as is due to finish in the first week of November.