THE project to restore Guisborough Town Hall is nearing completion, and plans are being made for its use following the official opening.

Work to transform the hall into a tourism gateway, including accommodation, commercial space and heritage information, first began in 2020 following a grant of £1.3m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and subsequent grants from Redcar and Cleveland Council and Sirius Mining.

Just over a year ago new directors were added to the board. George Metcalfe took over as treasurer and Gerard Thompson became deputy chairman, Morita Metcalfe and Richard Johnson became directors, taking the total to 13. 

Led by Andy Murray, the chairman, the project has held more than 350 board meetings in the last six and a half years, with hundreds of hours spent writing bids to funders, with the aim to completely revamp the building.

Through the organisation’s perseverance, £2.2m of inward investment has been secured, for not just the town hall, but the whole of Guisborough.

The feedback from people in Guisborough on the appearance of the Town Hall during its construction has been incredibly positive. 

“If the appearance of the town hall is considered pleasing and attractive then I think that when we reveal the completed work inside the town hall, our local community will be well pleased by the job we have done," said Mr Murray.

"My only sadness is that my great friend Dennis Teasdale (former co-chairman and town mayor) is not here in person to see this project completed.”

The accommodation element of the Town Hall will sleep groups of up to 17 people in seven luxury bedrooms. All rooms will have en-suite facilities and there is a lift and disabled access to all areas. The communal areas has seating and a kitchen with a dining area that can seat all guests overlooking the high street on the top floor.

The building also has 20 state of the art bike racks behind secure keypad access and a separate boot / cloakroom / drying room. 

The accommodation will be available to book in the coming weeks with a minimum three-night stay. For expressions of interest in potential bookings, email guisboroughgateway@gmail.com