Just a little report for local history documentation purposes more than anything else
Theres really two buildings in one here, The Victoria Hall and the Conservative Club although in later years the conservative club knocked through into the hall and used both spaces. The con club closed in 2014 but initially I missed it and it was cleared and sold off for conversion into houses fairly quickly. Work began in 2017 but stalled after 'structural problems' were found. After that it has just sat there while the owners argued the usual argument that they need to completely level it rather then stump up the money to put it right (and of course make slightly less profit!) Last time I heard they had offered to keep the Victoria hall frontage and get rid of the rest. No doubt they will get their way eventually as the local council is as corrupt as anywhere else.
This one has frustrated me for a few years now so it was good to finally get in there. Sadly theres not so much to see. The club building has been pretty much gutted on the ground floor but at least the snooker room upstairs still had 'something' in there. There was also a cute little cellar which had some seriously dated bits and bobs left to find..
The Victoria hall itself was a disappointment on the inside. It was once used as a theatre but when the towns 'Quay Theatre' was opened in the early 80s it made it redundant and it ended up having a block of toilets/bar/kitchen type rooms built at the front of house cutting the size of the actual hall in half. To put the boot in the remaining hall sprouted an awful false ceiling too.. That's not to say it wouldn't be a nice building if done out appropriately tho. The hall has a lovely curved rear wall and exposed heavy oak roof trusses. At the stage end theres a basement level that once had the dressing rooms and the remains of a boiler room. It would actually be cool to see it with all the modern crap ripped out.
Otherwise just a little mooch of a local derp and another step towards another soulless dormitory town for people who can afford to escape the scurge of globalism.
Theres really two buildings in one here, The Victoria Hall and the Conservative Club although in later years the conservative club knocked through into the hall and used both spaces. The con club closed in 2014 but initially I missed it and it was cleared and sold off for conversion into houses fairly quickly. Work began in 2017 but stalled after 'structural problems' were found. After that it has just sat there while the owners argued the usual argument that they need to completely level it rather then stump up the money to put it right (and of course make slightly less profit!) Last time I heard they had offered to keep the Victoria hall frontage and get rid of the rest. No doubt they will get their way eventually as the local council is as corrupt as anywhere else.
This one has frustrated me for a few years now so it was good to finally get in there. Sadly theres not so much to see. The club building has been pretty much gutted on the ground floor but at least the snooker room upstairs still had 'something' in there. There was also a cute little cellar which had some seriously dated bits and bobs left to find..
The Victoria hall itself was a disappointment on the inside. It was once used as a theatre but when the towns 'Quay Theatre' was opened in the early 80s it made it redundant and it ended up having a block of toilets/bar/kitchen type rooms built at the front of house cutting the size of the actual hall in half. To put the boot in the remaining hall sprouted an awful false ceiling too.. That's not to say it wouldn't be a nice building if done out appropriately tho. The hall has a lovely curved rear wall and exposed heavy oak roof trusses. At the stage end theres a basement level that once had the dressing rooms and the remains of a boiler room. It would actually be cool to see it with all the modern crap ripped out.
Otherwise just a little mooch of a local derp and another step towards another soulless dormitory town for people who can afford to escape the scurge of globalism.
