Tamworth Assembly Rooms exhibition goes on tour
A digital touring exhibition for Tamworth Assembly Rooms sets off this April as the historic building continues to undergo a major refurbishment.
The project has now entered the construction phase and Tamworth Arts and Events team want to share the journey with you as well as the theatre’s history and future. The aim of the exhibition is to give residents the opportunity to learn about local heritage and the history of the iconic Victorian building.
People will be invited to share their memories of the building and give feedback and suggestions on the project and the future of the Assembly Rooms.
As part of the exhibition, visitors will be asked if they have any memorabilia related with the Assembly Rooms’ past, such as tickets or programmes or celebrity photos. Stories and photos will be added to a touch screen tablet available to view in a kiosk where people can see the information and plans.
The project is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Their funding has helped develop the research into the building’s past and consultation with the local community about the building’s future. It has also supported the development of detailed plans to improve Tamworth Assembly Rooms and is helping to make these plans a reality.
The £4.8m Assembly Rooms refurbishment is part of the wider Enterprise Quarter project, which is a joint initiative between Tamworth Borough Council and Staffordshire County Council. The overall £6.1million scheme includes the creation of Tamworth Enterprise Centre, a new restaurant in the Carnegie Centre and the development of new ‘public realm’ open space. It is being funded by the Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent LEP’s Single Local Growth Fund (£2.95m), the Heritage Lottery Fund (£903,400), Arts Council England (£365,000) and the remainder from Tamworth Borough Council.
You can follow the Assembly Rooms Development Blog and see our touring exhibition as it makes its way across various locations in Tamworth. Full information can be found at: www.tamworthartsandevents.co.uk/blog
Where you can see the exhibition:
April – Sir Robert Peel Hospital
May – St Editha’s Church
June – The Hub, Tamworth Activity Centre
July – Sacred Heart Church
August – Tamworth Library
Cllr Robert Pritchard, Deputy Leader of Tamworth Borough Council, said: “Tamworth Assembly Rooms, known as 'The Grand Old Lady of Corporation Street', is an amazing building and was built in 1889 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee of 1887.
“The Assembly Rooms has such vast history since it was first built. It has been used for everything from assembling gas masks during WW11, to a venue hosting many local groups and household names including The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, who performed in 1963. I look forward to hearing local residents share their stories and experiences.
“The exhibition will display up to date plans and progress of how the new-look Assembly Rooms will appear and how the major project will transform the building into something Tamworth can continue to be proud of for another 125 years.”
