A visionary project to transform one of Carlisle's most historic buildings into a community resource is on the brink of becoming a reality.

Nestled within the grounds of Carlisle Cathedral, and built as a monestary dining hall in the 1500s, the Fratry building currently houses one of the country's oldest libraries, its ancient books containing centuries of history.

After years of planning and hard work, the Fratry Project is poised to begin, with work due to start next spring.

The scheme will see the building extended.

This will include the creation of a pavilion in front of the Fratry, housing a cafe, kitchen, and toilets, with light flooding in through huge arched windows, echoing the architecture of the nearby cathedral.

The £3.4m project was made possible by £1.9m from the Heritage Lottery Fund, together with a determined fundraising effort.

Some of the key players who have supported the redevelopment – organisations, companies, and individuals – gathered at the Fratry last night to hear about how the plans are progessing.

Guests were shown a model and graphics of how the Fratry building will be extended and made more accessible.

“This project is about transforming one of the cathedral's major assets,” said the cathedral's director of strategic operations, Sharon Parr.

“The Fratry is a fantastic building but it's not easily accessible for everyone and this project is about opening up some of our spaces so that people can do a lot more here; and we will also create more space.

“The library in the Fratry is one of the oldest in the world.

“But nobody can read the books because they're too fragile. So we're going to digitise the library to make them accessible. There'll also be lift access to this part of the building, and it will be used for all sorts of different events.”

A new cafe will be housed in the new extension, while the Fratry undercroft (where the cafe currently is) will be used for teaching, learning, and educaiton work.

The design work has been done by London based Feilden Fowles, whose project architect Ingrid Petit was at Thursday night's event.

“It's been a big challenge,” she said, “but we've worked very closely with the Cathedral staff and local people.

“We've worked hard to find a balance between something that would blend well with the cathedral while also being modern.”

Heritage Lottery Fund committee member Aileen McEvoy said: “This is the kind of project you do only once in a generation. I feel the cathedral, and all the partners have come together with a real sense of what they want.

“This building has been a Sleeping Beauty on this site.

“There's a real sense that it will be a learning centre and hub for the whole of the city, so that stories right from the 12th century onwards of Carlisle will be able to be told.”

Stanwix Urban county and city councillor Liz Mallinson – who is passionate about history - said that the monks who once lived on the site would have approved of the project.

“It's about the preservation of history and learning,” she said.

“I think it's brilliant.”

Castle ward city councillor Stephen Sidgwick added: “It's an exciting development, blending modern architecture with the existing cathedral. It also adds to the vision of Carlisle promoting its history.

“Tourists will want to come here.”