What are we doing?
We want this landmark building to play a part in bringing more people into the city centre.
This project is a restoration, reinvention and reactivation of a building described by Historic England as a rare and unusually rich example of an unaltered `Festival of Britain' interior.
The upgrade to the Grade II listed building is expected to include:
- Improvements to the acoustics in the Great Hall as well as new modular staging offering more options for a variety of events
- Strengthening the Great Hall roof trusses for lighting truss hanging points
- An external ramp at the front of the building improving accessibility
- Refurbished toilets on ground floor level with extra capacity within the female toilets
- A new accessible toilet on the ground floor
- A refurbished lounge bar and increasing the size of the bar
- Refurbished toilets in the lounge bar area
- A platform lift in the lounge bar for accessibility
- An upgraded kitchen next to the Great Hall
- Improved Wifi throughout the building
- Refurbished internal lifts
- New controllable DMX lighting in key areas
- New furniture in the Lounge Bar and Great Hall
- Improvements to the electrical wiring and fire alarm systems.
Why are we doing this?
We want the Guildhall to be a place for bands and events again. It used to draw big crowds for performers such as Queen and David Bowie.
We also want this building to be even more of a part of the lives of Plymouth people, from weddings, award ceremonies, to concerts, fairs, dances and other cultural and community events as well as conferences.
Investing and upgrading the systems will help this building play a bigger role in the city centre and in the lives of Plymouth people.
It’s a hugely important building. The Guildhall, including Great Hall, Assize Courts and former City Treasury was built in the 1870s but reduced to a shell during the Blitz. They survived the threat of demolition by one single Council vote in 1951 and became a focus of Plymouth's rebuilding. It was one of the few damaged buildings to be restored rather than rebuilt.
How long will the work take?
A planning application for listed building consent was granted in May 2023 and the contract was awarded to TEC Construction, who are now carrying out the work.
The work has entailed creating giant boxes to protect the 1950s chandeliers which have been lowered to the floor of the Great Hall. A nest of scaffolding has been put up to give contractors access to the high ceilings.
Steels have been installed in the roof space to strengthen the trusses for the high spec lighting that is to be installed. At least 15 miles of cabling – data cables, audio, visual will be installed and hidden behind false ceilings and walls and over 300 sockets fitted.
The old toilets have now been demolished to make way for many more modern toilets – to cut queuing for customers during the all-important intervals.
The old commercial kitchen has been stripped back and work is progressing in the Lounge bar to create a bigger bar with more serving points.
Work is expected to be completed by Autumn 2025 and the Guildhall will remain closed to the public during this time. The timetable has slipped by a few weeks and event organisers who booked the venue have been informed.
Stain glass panels which were damaged during a vandal attack have also been repaired and will be reinstalled soon.
How much will this cost?
The project now costs in the region of £5,429,000 and is funded by the Future High Streets Fund and Plymouth City Council.
Extra funding has been provided for further work, including the refurbishment of toilets on lower ground floor and 1st floor, some new windows and repairs to the roof.
Exterior restoration
A separate programme of restoration for the building’s exterior has just been completed.
This was designed to clean and repair the effects of decades of pollution and salty sea air, which has damaged stonework and detailing.
The work also entailed repairs to the wave-shaped awning over the front doors as well as stonework repairs and essential roof repairs to address historic leaks.
The work – which started at the end of 2022 – cost £750,000 and is funded through the Council’s corporate estate budget.
