News archive
08-10-07:Princes Trust start clearing the Garden.
Click here for full details.
17-09-07:Approval has been received for our application to the Townscape Heritage Initiative
We are delighted to announce that approval has been given for our bid to the THI for £28,000 has been approved. Of this the THI will grant £16,000 and this is to be match funded by the Downsland Charity and our own fund-raising.
This will enable us to repair the leaking roof over the stage, unblock and restore six of the hall's windows and replace the remainder.
12-05-07:'Hippos' guest at Charity Gala Concert
The surprise visit of ’Hippos’ on stage helped us raise over £1800 to match fund a bid to the Townscape Heritage Initiative.
This will enable us to repair the leaking roof over the stage, unblock and restore six of the hall's windows and replace the remainder.
The concert, ’HELSTON IN THE HALL’, featuring Helston Town Band and Helston School Jazz Orchestra was well received by an audience of over 240 filling the auditorium. Representatives of the Town Council, Kerrier District Council and many local businesses also thoroughly enjoyed performances by Helston Musical Theatre Company, ACT1 Youth Theatre Group and Meneage Arts Players.
The Chairman, Mark Upton, outlined the current plans for the building and gave details of the next phase of building work to replace the kitchen and toilet facilities to enable access to all members of the public.
The Management Group were also pleased that over 50 people have now joined the ‘100 Club’ to help with the day to day costs of running the project. The first draw was made by the Treasurer and Minutes Secretary.
Click here for ’Hippos’
20-2-07: Option To Lease signed
The Epworth Hall Management Group are pleased to announce that they have now signed an ’Option To Lease’ with Helston Methodist Church.
10-6-06: Planning permission granted
The Epworth Hall redevelopment plan has been approved by Kerrier District Council, the local planning authority.
Fund-raising can now proceed in earnest, with a view to work starting as soon as possible.
Conditions were imposed, including:
Detailed approval must be sought for all materials and for all external detailing, such as external balustrades and windows.
An appropriate programme of recording must be agreed and carried out, to record existing features of archaelogical interest.
The second condition chimes in well with the management group's plan to create in the room mistakenly called the Wesley Room a written and visual record of the building's origins and development, together with details of the growth of Methodism in Helston. The management group is aware that the hall's future contribution to the life of the town will be an extension of the service which began when it was built in 1798 and which has been continuous ever since.
The room sometimes called the Wesley Room is the attic chamber above the small kitchen extension to the west of the main building. It is now the most derelict part of the premises. It was used for some years in the early life of the building as a bedroom for visiting preachers. But since John Wesley died in 1791, there is no possibility that he ever slept there himself.
However, John Wesley was a regular visitor to Helston (though initially he was obliged to preach outside the borough boundary for fear of assault), and his contribution to the spiritual life of the community was immense. It is hoped that the attic chamber can be used to record some of Wesley's activities and achievements in the area.
See Background for more on Helston and the John Wesley connection.
13-5-06: Charitable status granted
The Epworth Hall has been granted charitable status. The most important result of the Charity Commissioners' decision is that gifts to the venture can now take advantage of the Inland Revenue's Giftaid scheme, whereby income tax paid on the value of a gift can be reclaimed by the charity.
The Registered Charity Number is 1113886.
27-3-06: Plans published
Revised Epworth Hall renovation plans have been submitted to Kerrier District Council's planning department. The new submission keeps all remodelling within the building's existing envelope.
The plans can be inspected at Kerrier offices; copies have also been posted in the Chapel foyer.
The internal details of the renovated building remain flexible; but the drawings below give a good idea of what is proposed.
Floor plans
Elevations and sections
Higher resolution copies of these drawings are available for download in .pdf form:
Plans (514kb)
Elevations (516kb)
1-2-06: Plans re-submitted
The Epworth Hall renovation plans have been redrawn, without the proposed foyer and staircase block. The change follows Kerrier District Council's request that all redevelopment be kept within the building's existing envelope.
The rearrangement means that the lift, staircase well and foyer will be accommodated at the cost of some of the extensive floor space on both levels. However, some of the space lost in the main hall can be regained by building a balcony.
KDC also requested that no change be made to the roofline of the kitchen-and-bedroom extension at the south-west corner of the hall. Because the roofline is restrictive, the extension can no longer double as accommodation and fire-escape. The loss of a proper fire escape at that corner of the building has been made good by a second small reduction in the overall floor area, to accommodate an alternative emergency exit route.
"We are sensitive to the wishes of the community," commented the hall management group chairman Mark Upton. "After all, the sole reason for our efforts in trying to bring new life to the Epworth Hall is to provide a resource for the community.
"The hall is a listed building with considerable architectural merit, and if Kerrier feel the community is best served by retaining its existing appearance, that is fine by us.
"This decision means that the only external change our redevelopment will bring will be the reinstatement of a number of windows which have been bricked up over the years."
The revised plans are being finalised this week for submission to Kerrier Planning Department immediately.
See our News archive for older news.
11-11-05: Open day at the Epworth Hall: Friday, Nov 11, 3.00pm - 5.00pm
Visitors to the Epworth Hall open afternoon left impressed with the proposals outlined below, and with not one negative comment. Guests included Helston's Mayor and Town Clerk, neighbouring residents, the Press and other interested parties.
Full details were available of the proposed changes to the building and of some of the activities it will house when the regeneration programme gets under way. Visitors were welcomed by management group members, Clive Malim, the project's architect, and Kerrier Regeneration Officer Antonia Pickup. Guests toured the building's existing accommodation and gardens for themselves (bar one unsafe area), and joined in discussions about its future.
Management group chairman Mark Upton, in shirtsleeves, and group member Robbie Roberts greet Helston's Mayor Councillor Paul Phillips on open day. In the background, Kerrier District Council Community Regeneration Officer Antonia Pickup discusses architectural details with town clark Chris Dawson.
4-9-05: Hall plans published
Plans for the regenerated Epworth Hall were completed by the Epworth Hall Management Group's architect, Clive Malim, B. Arch., Dip. Arch. (Bristol), R.I.B.A. this summer. They are now in the hands of Kerrier District Council Planning Department, together with a Planning application and a Change of Use application.
The plans are available for inspection at Kerrier District Council offices, or from the chairman of the Epworth Hall Management Group. See our Get in Touch page for contact details.
21-6-05: Appeal letter to go out
An appeal letter seeking funds from known supporters of the project is to go out in order to provide cash for day-to-day expenses such as phone calls and stationery. Forty people are to be invited to donate £25 each. The sum raised will be matched by funds from Kerrier District Council.
The Management Group approved a four-colour brochure which is to be sent to local businesses and organisations seeking sponsorship of the project.
Further updates to the rebuilding plans were presented and approved. The plans are expected to receive final approval at the next meeting, so that architectural work proper can be begun. The internal layout remains to be completed.
7-6-05: Accommodation details agreed
The Management Group agreed outline plans for increased office accommodation. Full access for disabled people is to be extended to include the Epworth Hall garden, which is at the bottom of a steep flight of steps.
Other developments include:
25-5-05: Revised plans considered
Architects appointed to oversee the conversion of Helston's 3,000sq ft Epworth Hall into a community and arts centre have refined their proposals.
A further revision will be presented to the management group on June 7.
Meanwhile, public interest in the project soared when front-page news of the proposal appeared in the West Briton and in the Helston Packet. Visitor numbers to this website rocketed.
Helston's two local papers led last week's front pages with news of the Epworth Hall regeneration plan. The Helston Packet quoted the new mayor, Mr Paul Phillips: "... it would be a real asset to the town. The Epworth Hall is the only building in Helston available for the performing arts, and if there were conference facilities as well it would be a unique venue for the town"
Work has started on a publicity brochure designed to further boost interest; and groups known to be interested in the project are to be asked about their plans in order to help build a dossier of information to accompany grant applications.
Investigative work will continue with a site foundations survey and an asbestos survey.
12-5-05: The Epworth Hall: a brighter future
Architects appointed to oversee the conversion of Helston's 3,000sq ft Epworth Hall into a community and arts centre have made their first proposals.
The upper floor will be refurbished as an open space suitable for music, dance, theatre, art and conferences, with licensed and catering facilities available. Commercial offices will share the lower floor with smaller spaces suitable for community use. Disabled access will be included in the design, plus a lift.
"The Epworth Hall has become a drain on the resources of its owners, the Methodist Church," says Mark Upton, chairman of the Epworth Hall management group.
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Management group chairman Mark Upton, centre, discusses the first draft plans with architects Clive Malim, left, and Malcolm Jackson. There is no public accommodation like the Epworth Hall in Helston. Once renovated, the Epworth Hall’s facilities will be in demand |
"It is dilapidated and under-used as a result, despite being the only building in Helston suitable for arts and entertainment. An old lady who attended a recent successful dramatic event at the hall looked at the peeling plaster as she came in and commented, 'if I'd known it was here, I wouldn't have come'.
"When we've finished, the hall will be a warm, welcoming venue for concerts, poetry readings, indoor sports, dance, drama and many other activities. It will be available as an art gallery, for business sales conferences, and possibly for wedding receptions.
"We shall operate in cooperation with the Community Centre in Penrose Road, whose management support our plans."
Permanent accommodation
Organisations including the Citizens' Advice Bureau have expressed an interest in permanent accommodation in the building, while a long list of social groups, sports organisations and dramatic societies have declared their hope to use the facilities on a regular basis.
"The income from rented accommodation will help to offset the costs of running the centre," adds Mr Upton. "It will also keep the building alive in another sense, drawing in visitors and helping to make the hall's existence more widely known."
Most of the land behind the Grade II listed Epworth Hall is privately owned, but the hall has a walled garden, presently overgrown, suitable for use as a pleasant outdoor adjunct to the building.
Architect Clive Malim, who was responsible for last year's feasibility study, has been engaged to draw up detailed plans for the renovation.
Grant applications
Leasehold arrangements with the building's owners, the Methodist Church Connexion Office, are being considered by the management group, and funding applications are in hand with the help of Antonia Pickup, Kerrier District Council's Community Regeneration Officer.
The current stage-play licence is to be extended, subject to Kerrier District Council approval, to allow a wide range of public entertainment, sporting and artistic activities.
The management group is open to all interested parties. The next meeting is planned for June 7 at the hall.
10-04-05: Epworth Hall regeneration under way
Things have started moving: the Epworth Hall project is under way. A Management Group has been formed, and is open to representatives of interested user groups.
The Management Group has appointed an architect: Clive Malim, B.Arch. Dip.Arch (Bristol) R.I.B.A., of Redruth, who has substantial experience of local grant-funded developments. A solicitor has also been engaged.
The Management Group plans to lease the building from the Methodist Church. It will be run as a self-supporting unit.
The premises are currently under-used. Several plays and musicals are staged there each year; a children's playgroup are permanent tenants; yoga and keep-fit groups use the main hall weekly. Apart from those, the Epworth Hall is empty, cold and unloved. It is in urgent need of refurbishment - though, fortunately, its structure is sound.
A Helston asset
The hall's owners, the Methodist Church, and the new Epworth Hall Management Group agree that this neglect must stop. The building is an important, but largely ignored, resource for Helston. With effort and cash, the building's interior can be redesigned and refurbished to meet the needs of a large variety of users, and can again become a valuable asset to the community, right in the centre of the town.
The plans
Detailed plans are being worked on. In general, the proposal is as follows:
On the main floor will be a large space suitable for many uses. At the moment it is used occasionally for theatre and keep-fit. After refurbishment, uses can be expanded hugely to include drama, leisure, sports, art, young people's activities, conferences and commercial functions. Wheelchair access would be easy to install.
Licensed catering facilities will be included, and functions such as wedding receptions will be welcome - possibly making use of the hall's delightful, private, walled garden as well as indoor spaces.
Commercial use
There are no business conference facilities in Helston. One potentially valuable use of the new Epworth Hall will be affordable, fully equipped facilities for sales conferences and other business events.
Commercial involvement will be central to the operation of the Epworth Hall, providing income and keeping the building busy every day. The ground floor has a number of rooms, large and small, which will be suitable after refurbishment for use as rented office space. A number of public and commercial organisations have already expressed an interest.
Funding
The next step is to seek the necessary funding from bodies keen to encourage projects such as this. These include the National Lottery and funding arms of the European Community. Funding research is in the experienced hands of Antonia Pickup, Community Regeneration Officer with Kerrier District Council.