Boston Manor House is to receive vital funding towards essential restoration from the Historic Houses Foundation.

The Foundation is a major beneficiary of the Heritage Stimulus Fund, recently announced by the government and Historic England.

It will provide support for restoration work on some of England's most important and vulnerable historic buildings.

The Foundation will be able to set up a programme of urgent work that would not otherwise have been possible.

Boston Manor House, which is one of the earliest examples of a neo-classical house of the English Renaissance, now belongs to Hounslow Council.

Funding will cover the restoration of the Jacobean Revival stone porch part of the regeneration project planned for 2020.

The house and its Jacobean interiors was first created for Lady Mary Reade in 1623.

Work will begin immediately and continue over the winter months before the start of the new tourist season in Spring 2021.

Cllr Samia Chaudhary, Cabinet Member for Leisure Services at Hounslow Council said: "We are delighted that Boston Manor House has been selected to receive this grant enabling us to fully restore the deteriorating porch at this magnificent Grade 1 listed Jacobean Revival manor house.

"With public finances under severe pressure, without funding such as this generous award from the Historic Houses Foundation, it is hard to see where we would find alternative funds for this essential restoration work.

"We have a duty to the borough and to future generations to conserve and maintain Hounslow's unique heritage assets.

"The skills required to complete conservation work also need to be protected and this project will support employment for highly skilled artisan specialists."