A 300-year-old home and garden is undergoing a major renovation and repair.

Grade II listed Frogmore House, in Lower High Street near Bushey Arches, is being refurbished at a cost of £2 million, paid for by a developer.

When Watford Borough Council passed plans in November 2017 for 92 flats and a Lidl supermarket, it came with the condition that Frogmore House was restored.

The building will be brought back into use as an office space.

This week, mayor of Watford Peter Taylor visited the site to see how the restoration was going.

He said: "Frogmore House is a really important part of our town’s history. Having fallen into disrepair many years ago it is great that the building is being restored and brought back into use.

"We are committed to preserving and enhancing our Watford’s heritage and I’m glad that Watford Council has worked with others on this restoration project."

Watford Observer:

Mayor Peter Taylor tours Frogmore House. Credit: Simon Jacobs

The whole of Frogmore House, except the single-storey rear extension added at a later date, is being retained and the historical and architectural value of the building is being preserved.

The building, owned by St William Homes LLP since 2017, is listed on the national Historic England’s 'Heritage at Risk' register and needs urgent renovation and repair to bring it back to its former glory.

Built in 1716, the property has been used as residential accommodation over the years but fell into disrepair during the 1970s and by the 1990s was suffering from a variety of issues and was identified as a building 'at risk'.

It had been owned by National Grid since 1905 - the whole site was bought by the then Watford and St. Albans Gas Company in the early 1900s, for an extension to the gas works which then lay between Bushey Arches and the Colne Bridge.

Meanwhile, the embankment of the River Colne, behind where Frogmore House sits, is being replaced to improve the look of the area as well as reduce the flood risk.

The residential development of 92 flats is ongoing but the Lidl supermarket has opened.