RIBA Stage 3 report - June 2024
ST GEORGE’S GUILDHALL AND CREATIVE HUB
Town Investment Plan theme: Innovative, Growing Business and Skilled Workforce
This project is focused on preserving the past, embracing the arts, and building a future.
A partnership led by the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk is working with stakeholders and the community to safeguard the future of the oldest working theatre in the UK.
Find out all about what’s happening on the St George’s Guildhall and Creative Hub website.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
St George’s Guildhall, Britain’s oldest working theatre, will be sensitively preserved and enhanced as a local, regional, and international centre for arts, creativity and theatre for everyone to enjoy.
The Guildhall and Creative Hub will see the medieval venue, empty buildings and courtyards revived as inspiring, welcoming spaces by the Borough Council, creating a heritage destination, new food and drink offer, home for creative industries and year-round programme of performances, events and education programmes.
Preserving the past and creating an exciting future for this important historic site, the cultural hub will add to the local economy by promoting King’s Lynn’s heritage and links to Shakespeare, creating new jobs and supporting new and existing creative businesses, while remaining a place for the whole community to enjoy too, with low-cost tickets for local people and building on the successful schools programme.
Visit the St George’s Guildhall website for more information.
DOCUMENTS
St George’s Guildhall Strategy Documents & Reports
St George’s Guildhall news
Visit the St George’s Guildhall website for the latest news.
FAQ
What will be at the Guildhall centre?
The St George’s Guildhall and Creative Hub project will create a nationally important cultural heritage site at the heart of Kings Lynn’s arts and culture scene. It will be a welcoming, flexible, and accessible place for arts, culture, and enterprise, offering a diverse and expanded programme of experiences and opportunities. It will be an inclusive place for all, and it will serve the local community and act as a beacon for visitors from further afield.
It will include the following spaces:
• The redeveloped Guildhall as an Elizabethan theatre and a flexible multipurpose performance space, to enable traditional and modern performances, film and live music,
• The Gunpowder Room (a reimagining of the undercroft currently known as Crofters) as a second performance space,
• The Fermoy Gallery,
• A creative hub will be created in the former White Barn and White Barn annex with a series of rental spaces for artists and makers.
It will offer:
• Ticketed and free heritage experiences celebrating the history of the site,
• An exciting new cultural programme that will consist of performing, digital, musical, and visual arts,
• Spaces for hire for private events,
• Engaging education and outreach activities,
• Skills, business support and development opportunities,
• Facilities for visitors to eat, drink, and shop.
How will you make sure this is a place for everyone?
We have carried out extensive engagement over the last few months with key stakeholders and members of the local community to understand what people need from the site to make it inclusive for all and we have come up with a comprehensive offer that we believe will appeal to everyone.
We have listened to our consultees and the proposals reflect their views and a real wish to get the very best for King’s Lynn and West Norfolk.
We want to make the site accessible, and improve how people can move round it, and we’re also offering a variety of activities, both ticketed and free.
Who is leading the project?
The Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk and the Norfolk Museums Service are working in collaboration with The National Trust to deliver this project.
Why now?
In June 2021, it was announced by the government that King’s Lynn had been allocated £25M in Town Deal funding.
The submission for the funding included the St George’s Guildhall and Creative Hub project, which has provided the opportunity for this project to take place.
Funding secured to date through the Town Deal must be spent by March 2026.
Will there still be performances at the theatre for the time being?
Performances at St Georges Guildhall have stopped to allow works to be carried out. These should be reinstated in 2028. More information will follow in due course.
When will the building work be completed?
We are currently on track to have the project delivered and up and running by 2027.
Will existing user groups be able to use it when it is completed?
Yes, we are working with existing user groups to ensure that they will still be able to use the site and that it better meets their needs.
They are a vital heartbeat of the Guildhall and Fermoy and will do all we can to continue that.
It’s great for an entertainment venue that it already has so many existing groups who want to use it, we’re listening to them and want to make using it an even better experience for them.
Why is the National Trust involved?
The National Trust is a conservation charity whose stated mission is to provide access to nature, beauty and history for everyone, forever.
They are the owners of the Guildhall and many other buildings on the site, which are then leased to the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk.
The National Trust are one of the world’s leading providers of heritage conservation and experience and they’re using their skills and knowledge to support the project team to deliver this shared vision, which will safeguard the heritage of this site and provide access to new and diverse audiences.
What is a Guildhall and why does King’s Lynn have two?
Guilds were like clubs. Imagine a football club, after school club or the Women’s Institute. Except they had a lot more power: more like a Premier League club; they had staff, land, trophies and a pension scheme.
The bigger Guilds ran the local towns in which they sat. King’s Lynn had several Guilds and several Guildhalls, there are only two remaining. The smaller Guilds would pay to rent the halls from the larger Guilds.
During the times when Guilds were important, King’s Lynn, or as it was known then Bishop’s Lynn had over 80 Guilds. Unlike most other places in the country where Guilds were divided by what job people did, in King’s Lynn they were divided by what Saint or Holy person you preferred.
It’s also worth saying that unlike many of the Guilds, St George’s Guild was open to men and women equally right from the start (quite enlightened for the time).
How can people find out more about the project?
People can find out more about the project on the Vision King’s Lynn website and social media channels. A separate website is being developed and details will be shared when available.
Find out all about what’s happening on the St George’s Guildhall and Creative Hub website.
Who is the contractor and what is their specific role on this project?
Main contractor, Messenger BCR Group, which has a pedigree of working on conservation projects in East Anglia, will start preparatory works on-site on 24 November 2025 and work through to site reopening in 2028.
Messenger was founded in 2011 and is best known for its high-quality conservation, restoration and alteration work to listed buildings, stately homes, ecclesiastical properties, and unique dwellings. The company has a large, directly employed workforce and management team comprising chartered surveyors, experienced managers, and highly skilled craftspeople. Regular clients include The National Trust, English Heritage, Historic England, Natural England, The Churches Conservation Trust, as well as dignitaries, celebrities, members of The Historic Houses Association and major insurance companies.
What areas of the site will the contractor be working in?
During winter 2025-26, scaffolding, including a temporary roof covering will be erected covering the Guildhall. This will provide protection to both the building and contractors whilst the renovation and repair works are undertaken. While the scaffolding is being put in place other contract packages of work will also commence across other buildings during the early part of 2026.
Will there be a construction management plan in place during the project and how will any disruptions to the public and/or local residents be handled?
A construction management plan is in place, and this sets out how Messenger will undertake their duties during the construction programme. These have been and will continue to be delivered in accordance regulatory guidance and best practice for a site of this complexity and challenge.
The site will have a visitor centre based at Number 29 King Street. It will be manned by both volunteers and a member of the Messenger team will be on hand during their contracted working week.
How do we escalate issues or concerns about the contractor’s work or conduct?
The site management team of Messenger will welcome any comments about the scheme and their programme of works. The easiest way to provide any feedback would be to contact them at the visitor centre in Number 29 Kings Street. They will have key contact details on the site hoardings if out of hours contact is required.
Will we be able to visit the site during the works?
Our Volunteers will remain located in our visitor centre at No 29 King Street. This will be open between Monday – Saturday for all weeks of the year (excluding Christmas). You will be able to visit this throughout the works and see information about the plans underway for the building and find out more about its history and future plans for the site.
FEEDBACK
Extensive consultation has informed the Town Deal projects. Since 2019, local people have been sharing their views through Vision King’s Lynn and have given their thoughts around themes such as culture, heritage, and leisure. This feedback has helped to shape the detail of the projects, including St George’s Guildhall.
In addition, focused conversations have been taking place with a range of stakeholders about St George’s Guildhall since autumn 2021.
