A 319-year-old Grade II-listed building in the heart of Bristol that was the headquarters of the precursor to the modern Labour party has been awarded £4.7m for a major renovation.
Kingsley Hall is deeply woven into Bristol’s history and has been witness to various social movements.
Once a Conservative club in the late 1800s, it later became the headquarters of the Independent Labour party and was opened by party founder Keir Hardie in 1911.
Built in 1706, it has hosted meetings of the Suffragettes and other women’s rights groups, as well as debates about workers’ pay and conditions, migration, housing, gentrification and the wars.
Now, it is used by a youth homelessness charity, 1625 Independent People, which will benefit from the £4.7m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to renovate the space for disadvantaged young people.
Dom Wood, chief executive of 1625 Independent People, said: “The social history of Kingsley Hall resonates with the young people we support, and Kingsley Hall will stand as a foundation for young people to create brighter futures for themselves and their communities.”
Wood said they would transform their historic home into a “vibrant community space, offering hope and opportunities for some of the region’s most vulnerable young people”.
The funding will be used to renovate the building, creating a community hub, new accommodation, a “skills kitchen” and cafe with the purpose of supporting young people who have experienced homelessness and care leavers to develop skills, improve their wellbeing, access training and employment.
Surrounded by 60 other listed buildings, the hall developed from a medieval marketplace into a focal point for the city’s promotion of social change.
Built on a medieval plot, the hall features jettied upper floors supported by stone Doric columns, forming a pavement arcade. The building is built on vaulted medieval stone cellars and medieval boundary walls, and features a timber dog-legged staircase.
It was owned by various maltsters and brewers from the late 1700s to the mid-1800s. By 1843, it was described as a “house, malthouse, brewery, stable, and yard”.
As well as its notable social history, Kingsley Hall also hosted concerts, dances, dog shows, optician appointments, clothes sales and Sunday schools.
1625 Independent People is delivering the project in partnership with Bristol city council, the West of England combined authority, Historic England, City of Bristol College, the University of Bristol and local community groups.
Kingsley Hall is one of seven newly-funded projects spanning the UK from Belfast to Edinburgh to Essex.
Eilish McGuinness, chief executive at the National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “From a monumental Victorian water tower in Colchester and an iconic architectural landmark within Edinburgh’s world heritage site to Kingsley Hall in Bristol’s Old Market, we are working with those who care for heritage, transforming historic gems and positively adding to wellbeing and educational opportunities for young people, making heritage the focus of communities, places and the UK economy.”
Source: theguardian.com
