THE full extent of the damage caused to Tenbury town centre in the floods earlier this year is only now becoming clear.

One of the buildings that suffered the worst damage was the Pump Rooms that is home to Tenbury Town Council.

Building Surveyor Neil Condliffe has told Tenbury Town Council about the damage that has been done and that it will be next year before the iconic building can be used again.

After the flood in February an inspection was carried out revealing that the damage was much greater than had been anticipated.

Mr Condliffe told the council that part of the problem was that previous work on the floor of the buildings had not been done well.

This had resulted in some subsidence that was not anticipated and made the building dangerous.

There was damage to a concrete floor that made the building unsafe and lime mortar would need to be used in the repairs.

He said that when the work was done it would mean that in future the building would be more resilient and less vulnerable to damage if there is another flood in the future.

The need to work with an insurance loss adjuster and the delays caused by Covid-19 mean that the building that is also used for community groups and other meetings will have been out of use for best part of a year by the time that the council can move back in.

The Pump Rooms were built in 1862 at the rear of The Crow Hotel by the Tenbury Improvement Company.

It was originally believed that the waters from the well had healing properties and that Tenbury might evolve as another of England’s famous spa towns. This, however, was not to be.

The building was designed by James Cranston of Birmingham who based the design on his own greenhouse.

It was one of the earliest examples of prefabrication, with the sheets being made in Birmingham and assembled on site.

The building became derelict at the end of the 20th century but thanks to a grant was fully restored for the Millennium and now takes the form of a community hall, a Register Office for weddings and the office of the Tenbury Town Clerk.

The remains of the well can be seen inside the base of the tower. The Pump Rooms is now recognised as one of the distinctive features of the town and appears on merchandising and advertising.

Other buildings that were damaged in the floods include the Pavilion that is used by sports clubs and his having a new roof fitted as well as other works.

The Regal Cinema will soon be handed back to the trust that runs it after a major project to replace flooring and seats.

Some shops in the town are still to reopen and this is being delayed as they still need to dry out more than six months after they were flooded.

At least one new business has been delayed from opening.