Work starts on £1.8 million transformation of Ludlow Assembly Rooms

The arts and entertainment venue is undergoing a major renovation in order to fulfil the dream of its founders to restore the entrance from Castle Square, a goal it has been working towards for nine years.

Work has now begun thanks to a series of grant awards from different bodies, made possible by an asset transfer of the building from Shropshire Council earlier this year.

It is hoped the entire scheme will be completed by March 2019.

As well as the new entrance, the work includes a completely re-imagined auditorium with raked seating and state of the art air conditioning, a new box office, visitor information facility and lift, all wrapped up in an upgraded building meeting modern standards in energy efficiency.

Gareth Williams, the venue's chairman, said “It’s great to see all the hard work and planning from everybody actually coming together.

"We are incredibly grateful to the Arts Council, the European Regional Development Fund, Shropshire Council and our own friends and supporters who have got us to this stage.

"After getting by for 25 years, by March next year, we should have a building really fit for the 21st century. And as well as being environmentally sustainable, local people and visitors alike will see – and feel – a real difference.

“Having spoken to the architects recently, it’s great that we are still on target with the project.”

LAR is busy fundraising to reach the £1.8 million target and has further ambitions to introduce a second cinema screen and additional finishing touches.