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Bourne Old Town Hall receives £3.3 million National Lottery Heritage Fund grant




The creation of a new entertainment venue has moved a big step forwards thanks to a £3.3 million lottery grant.

Bourne’s Old Town Hall has been awarded the National Lottery Heritage Fund money to help turn the former magistrates’ court upstairs into a theatre for live performances, talks and cinema.

A new lift will make it accessible from The Shambles bar downstairs, which is already refurbished and used for live music, comedy and quiz nights.

The courtroom will include retractable seating. Image: Allan Joyce Architects
The courtroom will include retractable seating. Image: Allan Joyce Architects

Bourne Town Hall Trust was formed in 2017 by a small group of volunteers to restore and operate the 200-year-old building, which was used most recently as a town hall and courtroom. The building was previously a court, a covered market and a fire station - but caught fire in 1932, destroying the clocktower.

The lottery grant is a significant achievement for the team, which has given up a lot of time to achieve the milestone.

It will mean the building can be completely restored, the clock tower reconstructed and the original clock from 1821 recommissioned to operate and chime the hours.

The building in its early days. It has been a courthouse, a town hall and home to the local firefighters and town market
The building in its early days. It has been a courthouse, a town hall and home to the local firefighters and town market

The restoration will also include solar panels, a heat pump and modern insulation.

Once completed, the venue will support local heritage research and education, plus exhibitions, poetry, craft markets, as well as film, theatre, music, comedy and talks.

Charles Houseago, who chairs Bourne Town Hall Trust, said they were thrilled to have received the National Lottery Heritage Fund grant.

“The fund has provided amazing support to this project with initial funding for a viability study in 2017 and the development grant in 2022 to allow us to develop the detailed plans,” he said.

“Now this final major grant will turn more than eight years of planning into the reality of the biggest community projects ever seen in the heart of Bourne.”

How the hall will look with the reconstructed clocktower. Image: Allan Joyce Architects
How the hall will look with the reconstructed clocktower. Image: Allan Joyce Architects

Robyn Llewellyn, director of The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the Midlands and East regions, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, this historic part of Bourne's town centre will become a thriving community space for culture and heritage, and we're pleased to see the care being taken to improve the building's accessibility and environmental sustainability.”

The Georgian, Grade II listed hall was built in 1821 and was last used as a public building in 2014.

Floorplans for the restoration. Image: Allan Joyce Architects
Floorplans for the restoration. Image: Allan Joyce Architects

The Marquis of Exeter donated the land it stands on to the town and 123 people created an early ‘crowd fund’ to pay for its construction.



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