'The Guildhall is among the things that help make Grantham so great'
I know how keen residents are to make the most of our arts, our culture and our heritage – which is why South Kesteven District Council invests in innovative, stimulating and quality arts experiences at Grantham Guildhall Arts Centre, which we have owned and run since 1991, writes Councillor Kelham Cooke, leader of South Kesteven District Council.
Supporting residents and visitors to enjoy a concert, a show or children’s holiday activities is particularly important, especially in light of the Covid-19 crisis when people were asked to stay at home to help stem the spread of the pandemic.
The Guildhall Arts Centre offers a wide range of activities to support everyone’s taste, whether an evening of big band music or folk favourites, through to variety shows, hobby workshops, drama, dance and even hosting performances in our local villages.
Renovation work saw the former courtroom transformed into a 210-seat theatre and the ballroom redecorated to its former glory. In 2010 the box office was moved to the front of the building to make use of the grand Victorian entrance – and a coffee shop was housed in the former jail area.
It forms part of Grantham’s heritage quarter which also takes in the new cinema and St Wulfram’s Church. These are the things that help attract visitors and make our district such a great place in which to live, work and invest. Indeed, one of our key ambitions is to maintain, improve and invest in South Kesteven’s local arts and cultural venues.
If you haven’t visited for a while, why not pop in to the Guildhall for a coffee to see how this historic former court and jailhouse building now looks? As well as the theatre area, we have the beautiful Victorian ballroom and function rooms which can be hired.
Of course, our venue in Grantham is only part of the story – because we also host a wide variety of shows and events at its sister facility, Stamford Arts Centre.
On another note, it is fantastic to see the return of the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials which started yesterday. It has certainly been missed in the last couple of years so its great to see the crowds once again enjoying this year’s event. This is the highest profile event for our area with such a stunning backdrop of Burghley House that naturally attracts visitors from across the UK and further afield.
Whether these visitors stay in the grounds of Burghley for glamping or spill out into our superb local guest houses and hotels in Stamford and further afield, there is no doubt their spending boosts our local economy far beyond the weekend of sports and social activity.
Helping visitors find reasons to stay longer is part of our work here at SKDC, whether by helping people plan their visit through the www.discoversouthkesteven.com website, or by providing more opportunities to enjoy the leisure and arts scene in the area, which is what makes our theatres all the more important.
More information and what’s on can be found here: www.guildhallartscentre.com or www.stamfordartscentre.com
I would like to thank all those who already support their local arts centre – and encourage everyone else to take in a show soon!