Hall for Cornwall opened in November 1997 after undergoing refurbishments from the mid 1990s. This photograph was taken during the Duke of Cornwall’s visit to officially open the Hall.
The interior of HTP Motors (now the Pannier Market) during WWII. The automobile showroom was re-purposed as a site for building plane parts for Spitfires during the war effort.
Before it was a theatre, Carride Council were responsible for the building and we remember that disused rooms upstairs had been taken over by flocks of pigeons! It must have been a dirty job cleaning it up!
My memory is of Bert Biscoe taking me up to the Council Chamber and proudly showing me my great, great, great grandfather’s election address to the ‘People of Truro’ which he had hung on the wall.
Mrs Proctor – “Mr Biscoe, I’ve lost my council tax bill – you must find it else I’ll end up under the Town clock and then I’ll be for it!”
My favourite memories of City Hall are the dances in the Annex, the Ballet’s on stage, the Fatstock shows, the Police Ball, Operas, the Guides & Scouts Fair and the variety show ‘Bits and Pieces’.
Sarah was a Director and General Manager during the transition from City Hall and its subsequent campaign to become Hall For Cornwall. Sarah Smith helped to establish the HFC Trust and led fundraising for the campaign.
By the mid-1990s, a number of parties from the council, City Hall governance teams and national organisations decided that City Hall was no longer fit for purpose, and that substantial development was required to transform City Hall into a workable performing arts venue to serve the cultural needs of the county. These ambitions became the Hall For Cornwall ‘A Space For You’ campaign
