Christchurch | Posted on March 14th, 2024 | return to news
Grand reopening of the Old Town Hall in Christchurch
Christchurch Town Council will be celebrating a grand reopening of the Old Town Hall this Saturday following months of restoration work.
Renovation of the Old Town Hall began in September and was commissioned by Christchurch Town Council following concerns about the deteriorating roof and stonework.
The project involved external stonework and building repairs, roofing work and lead restoration on the top elevation.
As well as this, the Town Hall has been refurbished internally and now features new bathrooms, kitchen facilities, carpets and decoration.
It is open for the public to visit on Saturday 16 March.
Acting town clerk, James Atkinson, said: “The remedial work and restoration of the Old Town Hall was a huge undertaking that I am proud to have achieved under the Town Council.
“To date, this is the largest project the Town Council has worked on since its inception in 2019 following the merge of BCP.”
The budget for the renovation was placed at £234,000 and James Atkinson told Dorset View that they managed to complete all the work for £233,000.
Mayor of Christchurch, Viv Charrett said: “This place is a real treasure of the town. I know the renovation was expensive, but we just couldn’t let the building deteriorate.”
Looking ahead, the revitalised Old Town Hall will serve as a hub for the community, hosting civic events, charity functions and cultural gatherings.
“People tell me that they’ve lived in Christchurch for 30 or 40 years and never knew what this building was. We hope that by opening it to the public it will receive more recognition and people will want to use it for their events,” the mayor added.
Remedial works were completed under the craftsmanship of Elcock Associates and Greendale Construction Limited.
John Hayes, the project manager for the renovation, said: “It has been a very dynamic process, there was a lot of thinking on your feet. Often we would open things up and quickly have to decide what to do in gale-force winds.”
The last full-scale renovation of the Old Town Hall took place in the 1980s.
Rob Hooker, director of Greendale Construction, said: “Greendale is delighted to have been part of bringing the hall back to its former glory where it will now be used as a vibrant hub for the community for many years to come.”
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