Work is well under way to restore a Georgian mansion that used to be part of a large department store.

The refurbishment of Chatham House, owned by Featherstones Ltd, is being funded by Historic England and Medway Council, with around £200,000 being ploughed into the project.

Work began last December on the 18th century, Grade II-listed building to restore the front and reinstate an updated version of the original porch and its railings, which were ripped out in 1936 for a modern shop front.

It has been owned by the Featherstone family since the early 1930s becoming a furniture, carpet and hardware department store.

Sheila Featherstone, who is the fourth generation of the family, said they were initially retailers and latterly custodians of significant historic buildings.

She said: "Despite our best intentions, we have not been able to restore them to their former glory due to financial constraints. Thus, Chatham House remains in its original form ready to be rediscovered and enjoyed.

"The building has been semi-derelict for about 30 years so it's such a privilege to be able to work on it and restore it back into something beautiful."

In 2020, the council was awarded £1.6 million government funding to revitalise a section of the Star Hill to Sun pier conservation area which covers parts of Rochester and Chatham High Streets. It forms part of Historic England's High Street Heritage Action Zone Programme.

Alice Brockway, an Historic England inspector, said: "Chatham House is an architectural gem in a fascinating part of Medway. The area has a distinctive historic character shaped by its proximity to the river.

"External repairs are the first step towards bringing this important historic building back into use, reinstating long lost architectural features from its early history

The first phase of the restoration was meant to be complete by the end of April but the renovators discovered the wall plates supporting the roof were rotten and the wall needed rebuilding.

Sheila Featherstone now hopes the first round of renovations, worked on by KLM Builders and Anthony Swaine Architecture Ltd, will be finished shortly so the building can be open to the public to explore during Heritage Open Days 2022 in September.

The mum-of-two also wants the help of KentOnline readers in deciding what to turn the building into once internal refurbishments are finished in Spring 2023.

She suggested the building could be used for art exhibitions or as a wedding venue but is keen to see if there is interest from potential tenants.