Barrow Hill Community Trust
LATEST NEWS ABOUT THE MEMORIAL HALL
March 2024 Things are starting to happen at last! The hoardings have gone up and work has already started on the ground floor, thanks to the Staveley Town Deal. The downstairs ladies loos have been demolished and the old gents has been extended to make way for a "Changing Places Toilet." The ground floor has been stripped back to bare brick, revealing long hidden secrets from 1863 - doors, fireplaces, arches and more. The upper floor has also been stripped back. False ceilings and boarded over windows have let in light and exposed the wonderful high ceiling in the ballroom which will, hopefully, be restored to its former glory by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Check out our latest newsletter for more details.
18 July 2022 Fantastic news as the National Lottery Heritage Fund awards development funding of £90,400 for the Barrow Hill Memorial Hall Centenary Project
Barrow Hill Community Trust has received initial support* from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the Barrow Hill Memorial Hall Centenary Project, it was announced today. Made possible by National Lottery players, the project aims to renovate and repurpose the upper floor rooms and exterior of the Memorial Hall whilst preserving its heritage.
Development funding of £90,400 has been awarded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to help Barrow Hill Community Trust progress their plans to apply for a full National Lottery grant at a later date.
The project aims to restore the imposing frontage and key heritage features of the Memorial Hall and will renovate the first floor of the building, creating a learning, skills and heritage space in the reading room and a restored venue for celebrations and events in the former ballroom. It will create a sustainable future for the building, filling community needs and providing accessible training opportunities for volunteers and staff. The building will be run with and for local people, and be open to the world. It will become a heritage-led well-being and cultural destination with community at its heart.
This first stage of funding will be used to replace the slate roof over the heritage space and appoint a Project Co-ordinator to plan a programme of activities that bring local heritage to life, giving local people the chance to find out about the past, get involved and have a say in this important development. Building on the last few years of consultation with local people, the Community Trust and our design team will be finalising the designs for the building and agreeing how the hall will be re-opened to again provide much needed community services.
Built in 1863 as part of Richard Barrow’s industrial model village,the Memorial Hall has long been a focal point for the area and, over the years, has been used as a Dining Hall, Workmen’s Hall, War Memorial and social centre. Gifted in trust to the community by the Staveley Coal and Iron Company in 1924, the project aims to renovate and modernise the Memorial Hall for the future while continuing to honour its legacy and its past.
Commenting on the award, Simon Redding, Chair of Barrow Hill Community Trust, said: “We’re delighted that we’ve received this support and would like to thank Lottery players for helping to make our vision a reality as we approach the centenary of community ownership of the Barrow Hill Memorial Hall. This grant will enable us to further our ambition to create a building which is truly inclusive and which embraces the whole community. It’s great to know that we are a step closer to conserving the Memorial Hall and preserving it for future generations.”
* The National Lottery Heritage Fund grant applications over £250,000 are assessed in two rounds. Barrow Hill Memorial Hall has initially been granted round one development funding of £90,400 by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, allowing it to progress with its plans. Detailed proposals are then considered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund at second round, where a final decision is made on the full funding award of £851,700
31 March 2022 Barrow Hill Community Trust was awarded £1.3m from the Staveley Town Deal to create a multi-use community hub at the Barrow Hill Memorial Hall.
The funding will be used to renovate and re-purpose the iconic building to contain activity and community spaces where people can socialise, and space for a range of service providers to offer much needed services to local residents.
Over the next two years, this well-loved heritage building will be sympathetically restored to provide Barrow Hill and the surrounding neighbourhoods with modern, accessible facilities and bring it back to its former purpose to celebrate its centenary of community ownership in 2024.
Simon Redding, Chair of Trustees said: “The Community Trust and people of Barrow Hill are overjoyed that we will finally have the services which other communities take for granted. The Memorial Hall will be a community hub for all, with the facilities which local people have asked for – all thanks to the Town Deal.”
The Community Trust is very grateful for all the support that it has received from Chesterfield Borough Council, the Staveley Town Deal Board, and everyone who has contributed to the development of the plans to provide the area once again with a community building it can be proud of.
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