Today, Bourne Town Hall Trust is excited to announce that they have been awarded a £3.3 million pound grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore the 200-year-old Town Hall building and transform it into a unique cultural venue for our town.
Bourne Town Hall Trust was formed in 2017 by a small group of volunteers with the goal of raising the funds to restore and operate this important heritage building for the benefit of the townspeople of Bourne. This award represents a significant achievement for the team who have given up so much of their own time to achieve this important milestone.
This funding, made possible thanks to National Lottery players, will enable the building to be completely restored, the clock tower reconstructed and the original 200-year-old clock recommissioned to operate the new dial and chime the hours.
Internally, the spaces will be restored to their former glory, with the addition of lifts and facilities to make the building accessible to all.
The new designs aim for maximum sustainability, and include improved insulation, solar panels and a heat pump technology, all contributing to bringing the building up to date through increased efficiency and contributing towards carbon neutrality.
When the work is complete, the Old Town Hall will be a heritage and culture hub for our town, offering a high-quality regular programme of entertainment and education for all ages and interests.
A significant part of the project is the Trust’s Community Activity Plan which includes heritage research, heritage outreach and education alongside events such as exhibitions, poetry, craft markets, film, live music and talks supporting the vision already created within the building and bringing ideas aimed at developing new partnerships and new audiences as the building is repaired, opening access to all and bringing the building back into daily use at the heart of Bourne.
In the long-term, the project will create a heritage and entertainment hub, at the heart of Bourne, for the benefit and enjoyment of all sectors of the community. It will restore a building which belongs to the townspeople and provide employment and volunteering opportunities.
Charles Houseago, Chair, Bourne Town Hall Trust said:
“We are thrilled to have received this significant grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The Heritage Fund have provided amazing support to this project with initial funding for a viability study in 2017 and the development grant in 2022 to allow us to develop the detailed plans, now this final major grant will turn over eight years of planning into the reality of the biggest community projects ever seen in the heart of Bourne.This can only be achieved thanks to National Lottery players generating the funding which allows us to be able to restore and provide permanent access to this important building for all the townspeople of Bourne.”
Robyn Llewellyn, Director, England, Midlands & East at The National Lottery Heritage Fund said:
“We’re excited to award Bourne Town Hall Trust a grant of £3.3million to restore the town hall. Thanks to National Lottery players, this historic part of Bourne's town centre will become a thriving community space for culture and heritage, and we're pleased to see the care being taken to improve the building's accessibility and environmental sustainability.”
About Bourne Town Hall
Bourne Town Hall is a striking classical Georgian Grade II building which over the last two centuries has served the people of Bourne as a sessions house, fire station, shambles market, town hall and council offices but which has stood empty since 2014 and is at risk of falling into further disrepair; this funding from the Heritage Fund will secure the building for the people of Bourne.
Built in 1821 on land originally donated to the town of Bourne by the Marquis of Exeter, with additional capital raised from 123 local subscribers, the construction of the building is a fantastic example of early crowdfunding and community support.
Bourne Town Hall Trust is a volunteer-led charity (1176315) set up in 2017 with the ambition of restoring Bourne’s Old Town Hall into an exciting and vibrant centre of heritage and culture for the community. Since then, our Trustees and volunteers have worked tirelessly to develop the plans working with the community and a wider professional team.
Look out on our website and social media for project updates, fundraising events and opportunities to support us throughout.
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.
Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund
Further information
For further information, images and interviews please contact Charles Houseago at Bourne Town Hall Trust at info@bournetownhalltrust.org.uk
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