A Shropshire ballroom which has been graced with royalty and world famous musicians and politicians could undergo a major £100,000 restoration.

The Adams Ballroom, in The Lion Hotel, Wyle Cop, was designed in 1770 and is one of the rarest of its kind in the country, having hosted kings, queens and celebrated literary and scientific icons including Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin.

Howard Astbury, owner, said the facility was of national importance and the renovation could be of great benefit to the rest of Shropshire, helping to raise the area’s profile and boost the local economy.

However the scale of the restoration depends entirely on the support of grants from external organisations and hotel chiefs are now awaiting quotes for the job in the coming weeks.

“I have been at the hotel for three-and-a-half years and while all of the bedrooms have been refurbished, the ballroom remains the most important part of the renovation programme,” said Mr Astbury.

“But the big question mark is over money. Obviously the more funding we have the more extensive the restoration work will be. We are working with the Listed Building group at English Heritage to get a quote for the work and they have also been taking paint samples.

“I would like to see it totally restored to its original condition and I would imagine that would cost in the region of £80,000 to £100,000. We will be looking at getting funding from the local authority, English Heritage or the Lottery, but if that is not possible we will just have to do whatever we can afford.”

Work to the ballroom, designed by Scottish architects known as the Adams Brothers, could include stripping off 20 layers of paint which have been applied over the original plaster work.

The restoration would aim to create better definition exposing detail including a repeated pattern of an urn and two lions facing each other.

Two fireplaces, the ceiling and the Minstrel Gallery would also receive attention.

By Sam Pinnington