Restoration of Guisborough Town HallRedcar and Cleveland Borough Council

The Grade II Town Hall has experienced a rapid decline in condition since it was vacated in 2013 and despite previous repairs the worrying signs of water ingress, rotting timber and failing masonry were showing again. This degradation was also having an impact on the wider conservation area and was diluting the significance of the building’s history.
Looking to address this problem the Guisborough Town Hall Gateway Project was formed by a group of local volunteers. Giving their time and personal skills this group, aided by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, received funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) to save and reuse the building.

And it certainly is a rescue. The building isn’t what you think. This is likely to be the fourth structure on the site and what you see today is a former town hall, raised a storey and reclad in facing stonework. It was in parlous condition and needed major structural and conservation interventions to piece it back together and adapt it for its new use in 2022.

The new accommodation will provide a tourist information point, retail sales unit for a gin distillery (Making Town Hall gin!) https://www.shortysgins.com/store/p2/Town_Hall_Gin_70cl.html#/ , and on the upper floors, serviced overnight accommodation.https://www.sykescottages.co.uk/cottage/North-York-Moors-Coast-Guisborough/Guisborough-Town-Hall-1096196.html

Here’s a link to images of the repair works: https://photos.app.goo.gl/eXjtMfu8nKWGtat86

We are delighted that the project has been Highly Commended in the Conservation and Regeneration category at this year’s Yorkshire & Humber Constructing Excellence Awards. The Awards recognise high standards of repair, re-use and revitalisation of heritage sites and buildings in the region.