Guildhall

This public facility was built to house the local grammar school, divinity library, reading/meeting room, Council Chamber and community hall and opened in 1860. A clock tower was added in the early 1890s. By the 1950s the upper floor had fallen into disuse and much of the building was no longer fit for purpose. There were a number of calls for re-development of the site but none came to fruition. The Guildhall is Grade 2* listed and seen as an important and unique architectural design of the time, occupying a central position on Cardigan’s High Street.

In 2005 the Trust, together with Menter Aberteifi, began work on the Guildhall restoration process.  Acanthus Holden Architects were engaged to produce an Options Appraisal, Feasibility Study and plans for the project, with the aim of bringing this iconic building back into full public use. br By 2007, the project was in full flow, with contractors, completing the restoration work, ready for reopening the Guildhall as a multi purpose venue, together with a gallery fronting the High Street in June 2009.

This heritage venue now houses the Great Hall, with its vaulted ceilings, used for dance, exercise classes, large meetings, weddings and concerts, on the upper floor, and the Chamber, a panelled meeting room also used for larger events alongside the Great Hall. On the lower floor, the Radley Room lends itself to workshops, meetings and community events together with a fully equipped commercial kitchen and office spaces.

The building is owned by Ceredigion County Council and leased to the Trust. We have overall responsibility for the structure and building repairs. The day-to-day running of the building is managed for us by Menter Aberteifi Cyf under a sub-lease.