GF Tomlinson Restore Historic Town Halls

GF Tomlinson is pleased to announce that it was chosen to restore two historic halls which date back to the 1800s and a market hall in the city of Stoke-on-Trent.

Valued at an estimated £6.5 million, the restorations of Longton Town Hall, Hanley Market Hall and Tunstall Town Hall are being delivered on behalf of the City of Stoke-on-Trent Council.

The Hanley and Longton schemes were successfully completed in the second half of 2019, with work on Tunstall Town Hall still currently taking place. All three restoration schemes were procured through the Scape Regional Construction Framework.

The Longton Town Hall works included remodelling and refurbishing the ground floor and public toilets in the adjoining market hall, along with the installation of a new office area and staff room. There was also refurbishment work on the existing meeting room creating a new local centre for Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

Externally, the building now features a wall of locally manufactured ceramic tiles, as well as new signage outside the entrance of the market hall.

Work is currently continuing at the historic Tunstall Town Hall, a Grade II Listed Building which dates back to 1854. The restoration works are much needed, as much of the existing timber beams and front façade are decaying.

The careful restoration process includes installing new windows and flitch beams along with stone and masonry replacement and external re-pointing. Internally the hall will undergo extensive upgrades, including new walls, floors and ceilings. It will also be decorated with heritage paints to match the exact colours that would have been there in 1854.

Due to be completed in spring 2021, the hall will also include two shop units, a children’s centre and a library, as well as rentable office space, to create a fully inclusive community facility.

Both the Tunstall and Longton Town Halls schemes involved working alongside Birmingham-based global consultancy, Gleeds.

G F Tomlinson, which has offices in Derbyshire and Birmingham, specialises in heritage restoration.

Chris Flint, director at G F Tomlinson, said: “With extensive experience working on restoration, heritage and community projects across the region, it has been a real pleasure for us to work on the regeneration of these historic halls in the West Midlands city of Stoke-on-Trent.

“All three projects were procured through the Scape Regional Construction framework, bringing huge benefits to the delivery of the project, removing the need for a costly and lengthy tender process, and adding overall value for the client.

“We’re really pleased with the results of Longton Town Hall and Hanley Market Hall – our team and supply team have done an amazing job and we look forward to seeing Tunstall follow suit.”

Councillor Daniel Jellyman, Cabinet Member for regeneration, infrastructure and heritage at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “We understand how important our historic buildings are. The town halls in Tunstall and Longton are fantastic assets and provide a constant reminder of how rich in heritage our city is.

“The aim of the work is to not only invest in their heritage, but also to make them modern, fit-for-purpose buildings that breathe new life into the high street, and ensure the community can access face-to-face services. Along with the improvements to Hanley Indoor Market, the work at Longton and Tunstall directly benefit the markets which are connected to both buildings, so we are really seeing a range of benefits from this investment into our heritage.”

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