Wiveliscombe Town Hall Trust
Community Development
We want to reinstate the 'eyes' of the Town Hall and repair the broken windows; raising pride in the town and improving The Square.
About this cause
Wiveliscombe Town Hall was built in 1841 and was used for over 100 years for performances, concerts, balls, cinema, reading rooms and other public events and activities. In 1929 the building was bought by the Cooperative Society with the last public use of the Assembly Hall taking place in 1958, since then it has lain empty and unused. Wiveliscombe Town Hall Trust aims to restore the Hall and re-instate it as an arts venue for the people of Wiveliscombe. A community consultation and business planning process took place in 2016; theatre, cinema, live music, arts and crafts fairs, dance, private hire and heritage exhibitions were all identified as activities both viable and needed by the town. The Trust will submit to planning in 2017 with capital funding bids following, venue to open 2019.
How this cause brings people in the community together
The repair of the large bordered-up windows overlooking the town square is an important first stage in re-engaging the community, showing progress is being made in the large scale refurbishment plans for the Town Hall building; to bring the building back into active use as an arts, culture and heritage venue for the town. The Trust has secured funding to get to planning so they can apply for capital funding for the major works but are also working to raise community funding to fix the windows and bring the town on board with a visible and significance difference being made to the building. The community has already raised funds through donations so that one window is already being worked on but substantial work is also required on other windows.