PLANS to reopen Wiveliscombe Town Hall this summer will be revealed at a community meeting next week.

The Town Hall, which stands over The Square, in the heart of Wiveliscombe, was last used more than 60 years ago.

Now the town hall trust is inviting residents to a community meeting on May 24 to tell them about its vision to reopen the building as an arts centre.

The hall was built by Alexander Baring Lord Ashburton in 1842 and had a ‘shambles’, or market, on the ground floor for local traders, with assembly rooms on the first floor which provided Wiveliscombe with a place for meetings and entertainment.

A portico graced the front of the building until it was removed in the 1930s when the Co-op bought and adapted the building for modern retailing.

Until the 1950s, the first floor was still used for films and dances, but it has lain empty and largely forgotten since then.

The building was listed in the 1980s and after years of campaigning the Co-op granted the trust a 99-year lease in 2015.

Trust chairwoman Emma Bettridge said: “It has taken a long time to get to this stage, but our vision is to create an arts centre for Wiveliscombe and the Brendon Hills.

“We plan to present theatre, film, music, and comedy performances, as well as make the hall available for local residents and organisations to hire for their own events.

“It will be a great day this summer when we can once again open the doors to this wonderful building.”

Trustee Eddie Gaines said: “The reopened town hall and the events it can hold will make Wiveliscombe an even better place to live and visit.

“We will be working closely with local venues and businesses to make sure we complement and support each other in every possible way.”

Funding was given by the Architectural Heritage Fund and Somerset West and Taunton Council in 2021 to allow the trust to start work to make the building safe for public use.

Mr Gaines said it would still be ‘very spartan’, and initially would not have a water supply, but it would enable events to once again be held in the hall.

The trustees intend gradually in the coming years to further improve and upgrade the building.

The town hall trust was formed in 2005 to bring the building back into public use and its members are Emma Bettridge, Chris Perry, Eddie Gaines, and Benedict Southworth.

The hall on the first floor can be accessed via stairs from The Square, leaving the Co-op, West Country Guns, and Wiveliscombe Library on the ground floor unaffected.

The community meeting will be held in Wiveliscombe Community Centre, West Street, on Wednesday, May 24, from 7 pm to 9 pm.

More information about the town hall project can be found on the website https://www.wiveliscombetownhall.org.uk.