Charity takes over lease of town hall arts hub

Trowbridge Town Hall was built to mark Queen Victoria's golden jubilee

A charity has taken on a 10-year lease of a Victorian town hall and is transforming it into an arts and community hub.

Wiltshire Council has formally handed the lease of the the Grade II listed Old Town Hall in Trowbridge to the Trowbridge Town Hall Trust, which has managed the building since 2012.

The building has been closed since late July 2023 for major refurbishment works as part of a £16m project to revitalise the town centre.

It is expected to reopen later this month, and will feature purpose-built performance spaces, a cafe bar and areas to host community activities.

The town hall was commissioned in 1887 to mark the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria, and served as council headquarters until the 1970s, when it moved to a larger site.

Wiltshire Council considered disposing of the building, but in 2011 a group of residents formed the Trowbridge Town Hall Trust, now a registered charity, and offered to help restore it.

The council said officially handing the lease to the trust was "the next chapter in the history of one of the town's most iconic heritage buildings".

Councillor Ian Thorn, leader of Wiltshire Council, said: "We are delighted to confirm this long-term lease with the Town Hall Trust which provides the stability needed to plan for the future and expand their community impact."

'Open our doors'

He said the council had originally planned to grant a 125-year-lease, but the parties had mutually agreed an initial 10-year time frame "to support the trust in its new chapter of running this building".

Tom Maddicott, chief executive of the Town Hall Trust, said: "To be able to open our doors and welcome people in to see for themselves the incredible work that has been done will be a very special moment, and we look forward to putting on an exceptional programme of events for everyone."

The town hall's refurbishment is being financed by the government's Future High Streets Fund.