'Best ballroom outside Blackpool' set to be replaced as plan for historic Telford hall lodged

In its heyday the ballroom floor at The Anstice was known as the best outside of Blackpool.

The venue in the middle of Madeley has witnessed a fair few romantic encounters over the years - but now the floor is itself in need of some more tender loving care.

The Anstice Community Trust has lodged a planning application to replace the Canadian maple boarding.

Planners at Telford & Wrekin Council have been told that at one time the sprung floor was often referred to as “the best outside of Blackpool”.

Heritage experts say the existing ballroom floor appears to have been installed in the mid-1950s and is not the original flooring from when the building was restored after the fire of 1874.

There is evidence to suggest that the current floor was obtained from the decommissioning of a Second World War base, the applicants state.

The Anstice, in Anstice Square, is a Grade II-listed building built in 1868/9 in memory of John Anstice, the owner and manager of the Madeley Wood Company.

Widely respected as an employer and philanthropist, it was decided to build a working men’s club as a memorial to him, in line with his wishes, after his death.

It was rebuilt after a devastating fire in March 1874.

Its closure in 2014 led to the formation of the Anstice Community Trust.

Madeley Town Council purchased the building for the community with a grant from Telford and Wrekin Council.

Planners have been told that the application is designed to continue to breathe life back into the building, whilst providing much-needed facilities for Madeley.

"The ballroom featured in many a Madeley couple’s romance, with feature bands, dances, social events and bingo nights bringing together the community," the applicants stated.

"Following extensive renovations over the past few years instigated by the Anstice Community Trust, the ballroom has, largely, now been returned to its original design.

"The chandeliers have been restored to their former beauty and the ballroom windows now look as they would have been when the building was rebuilt following the fire."

Even though the life of the 1960s dance floor was cleaned and polished to extend its life it is showing “significant signs of damage”.

Wayne Haslam, sales director at Floorstock, has written a floor condition report which recommends a Canadian maple replacement which would give the floor another 60-plus years of life.

Details of the plan can be seen on the Telford & Wrekin Council planning portal (reference number TWC/2026/0508).