The inspirational project to breathe new life into St George’s Guildhall in King’s Lynn has raised more than £1.5m in six months of fundraising, as a new major private donation is welcomed towards the renovation.
Work is underway on-site to revive the medieval venue, empty buildings and courtyards as inspiring, welcoming spaces for everyone, creating a heritage destination, new food and drink offer, home for creative industries and year-round programme of performances, events and education programmes.
In July 2025, Full Council agreed to earmark the funding required to allow these works to go ahead on schedule, while fundraising progressed behind the scenes. Since then, the confidence of borough councillors in the importance of the project, for King’s Lynn and the region, appears to have been justified with over £1.5m coming in through external fundraising in the first six months alone.
Historic England generously supported the project with over £700,000 from its Heritage at Risk Capital Fund, then this week the Hermann Reemtsma Siftung, a charitable foundation based in the historic Hansa City of Hamburg, has announced over £800,000 (1 Million Euros) to the Guildhall Charity to support the project.
These contributions from the last six months are on top of external funding previously secured from the Norfolk and Norwich Festival and the Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund for the learning and engagement programme, involving visitors and local young people in the building through special events, exhibitions and tours.
As the flagship scheme of the King’s Lynn Town Deal Programme and a priority of the Pride in Place Programme, the Guildhall is being sensitively preserved and enhanced as a local, regional and international centre for arts, creativity and theatre for everyone to enjoy.
Councillor Simon Ring, the Deputy Council Leader and Cabinet member for Business, said:
“It is really great news that the Hermann Reemtsma Siftung, a charitable foundation from as far away as Hamburg, has seen the potential in what we’re doing and given so generously to the St George’s Guildhall Charity for the project.
“We look forward to working with both the charity and the German fund to move forward on this really vital project. I know how hard the team have worked to bring this donation in and it’s really great for King’s Lynn, which fittingly is also an historic Hanseatic town.
“Thanks must go to both Historic England and Hermann Reemtsma Siftung for their generous and vital contributions over the last six months, which demonstrate the national and international significance of this project. This external money will be used to fund specific parts of the work – and the fundraising does not stop here.”
Baroness Natalie Evans of Bowes Park, Chair of the Guildhall Charity, added:
“This is the first major donation to the St George’s Guildhall and Creative Hub CIO. We are extremely grateful to the Hermann Reemtsma Siftung for their generous support of this important project. It will ensure the restoration of England’s oldest working theatre and create a vibrant cultural hub for West Norfolk and beyond.”
The St George’s Guildhall and Creative Hub Project is led by the Borough Council, in partnership with King’s Lynn Neighbourhood Board, Historic England and Norfolk Museum Service, in collaboration with the National Trust who own the freehold of part of the Guildhall site.
The main works started in November, with the site scheduled to reopen in 2028
