Town Hall to re-open following £4.7m redevelopment
A £4.7m restoration and redevelopment of Skipton Town Hall is almost complete, designed to transform the building into a cultural hub for the 21st century.
The building works are finished and the fit-out of Craven Museum, the Concert Hall, Information & Visitor Centre and Exhibition Gallery is well underway.
Craven District Council has also recently been given £75,000 from the Heritage Action Zone project in order to renovate the frontage of the building, which will take place over the next few months.
The first events to take place at the venue have also been announced.
Danielle Daglan, cultural services manager at Craven District Council, said: “We are incredibly excited to be opening our doors again after the major redevelopment.
“It’s been a long slog and with a pandemic thrown in to contend with on top of the usual challenges of renovating an historic building, but we’re almost there now.
“We can’t wait for people to be able to see the results of all the hard work that’s been going on behind the scenes.
“The museum is being completely transformed, and we’re developing an amazing programme of performances and events.
“If the Government’s roadmap goes to plan, by 21 June we should be free from lockdown restrictions, but we are taking a sensible approach to our reopening plans and incorporating a level of Covid-safety measures to help our returning and new visitors feel safe.”
The Concert Hall has been repaired and restored, and Craven Museum is being completely redesigned on the ground floor.
A new Information & Visitor Centre will greet visitors, and an Exhibition Gallery is being created upstairs.
At the back of the building, an extension has been built to house an education room, research office, museum store and additional facilities, including an accessible Changing Places Toilet.
Craven District Council is investing £3m in the Town Hall project, with £1.5m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and £183,000 from the High Street Heritage Action Zone.
The council has also previously received a £250,000 Arts Council Small Capital Grant to support the upgrade of performance infrastructure in the Concert Hall, which will allow for live streaming when the venue reopens.
