Hall for Cornwall gets £2.5m Lottery cash to protect heritage

Hall for Cornwall has been awarded more than £2.5 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund to conserve the building’s heritage features.

The arts centre is gearing up to undergo a major redevelopment, totalling £18 million, part of which will restore and conserve the grade II-listed buildings that were once Truro City Hall and are now part of Hall for Cornwall.

The Heritage Lottery Fund gave the project nearly £223,000 in 2016 as a first-stage grant, and has now given it a further £2,576,900.

Built in 1846, the building has been used as a court, a market and a jail, as well as a performance venue, and the HLF money has been granted for its importance as a civic and cultural centre for the area.

The £18 million redevelopment also comprises a complete remodelling of its auditorium and front-of-house spaces and is intended to generate new workspace for its staff as well as local creatives.

Julien Boast, director of Hall for Cornwall, said: “It’s always a thrill and a relief to know that everybody’s hard work here has been fully recognised. We’re delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has given us this support.

“After all the research and preparations so energetically undertaken, we are now eager to unleash our building’s cultural and heritage potential and give expression to this enormous confidence in us.”

Hall for Cornwall has already received several other funding commitments, including £5 million from Arts Council England, £2 million from central government – announced in the 2016 budget – and £2.1 million from the European Regional Development Fund.