Exclusive look inside Newbury's Old Library, soon to become an arts hub

trish.lee@newburynews.co.uk

Published: 17:39, 04 March 2024

| Updated: 10:00, 06 March 2024

EXCITING times are ahead for the arts in the Old Library building in Cheap Street and the Newbury Weekly News was granted a sneak preview of the work already going on inside and plans for the future prior to the launch of a public fundraising campaign this week.

The Old Library in Cheap Street. Work has taken place to repair and conserve the exterior of the Old Library. Originally a Carnegie Library, the building was opened in 1905-06. Built with money donated by Scottish American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and by public subscription it was designed by the Newbury Borough Surveyor and built by local builders Ref: 08-1024O

Old Library in Cheap Street, looking down at the flexible engagement and performance space from the mezzanine Ref: 08-1024 I

The campaign for the Corn Exchange’s Old Library project, which will see the unused historic building – lately Prezzo’s restaurant – transformed into a new arts hub, has gone public after a successful private fundraising phase.

A total of £2.6m is required to achieve the organisation’s ambitious plans to open the Old Library later this year.

Greenham Trust has provided £1m for the acquisition of the building, repairs and conservation and support has also come from Backstage Trust, Foyle Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation and Syder Foundation.

The exterior has already been made sound and the interior stripped.

Old Library in Cheap Street, the future entrance and café bar Ref: 08-1024A

The Corn Exchange (Newbury) Trust, comprising the Corn Exchange, 101 Outdoor Arts and the Learning Centre, and which also manages The Base Greenham, is restoring this building to provide a permanent home for its creative participation work to engage local people with the arts in a long-term creative space and community hub.

The public fundraising campaign is being launched to “repurpose the interior space and complete plans to meet the wellbeing creative needs of the Newbury community”.

The Corn Exchange’s creative initiative’s immediate focus is on improving access to high quality cultural experiences, particularly to improve mental health and support older communities and young people.

These activities are currently addressing issues of social isolation, health inequality and deprivation in West Berkshire, and break down the financial barriers that historically prevented people from taking part in the arts.

Old Library in Cheap Street, flexible engagement and performance space Ref: 08-1024D

With this current work taking place in a temporary facility, the spectacular new venue will ensure a permanent space for engagement with members of the local community, opening up more opportunities to all.

Key projects that will find their home at the Old Library include

Ageing Creatively, addressing the social isolation of older communities with regular classes sttracting 5,000 engagements annually, and Links to Thrive, a pioneering ‘arts on prescription’ project bringing free creative opportunities to people with a range of mental health conditions.

Careers in the Arts, run jointly with The Watermill, will also operate from the new venue.

Old Library in Cheap Street, looking down from the mezzanine at what will be a flexible engagement and performance space Ref: 08-1024J

This programme works with local schools and young people to raise aspiration and awareness of the career opportunities within the creative industries and to develop transferable skills through creative engagement, advice, mentoring and fully-funded placements.

This area of the company’s work is flourishing, with 27,000 attendees across these programmes in 2022/23.

Through their dedication to equality of access to creative opportunities, the Corn Exchange will support the most vulnerable in society through an expanded programme of workshops at this new venue.

Director of Corn Exchange Newbury and 101 Outdoor Arts Jessica Jhundoo-Evans said: ‘We are asking you and everyone we know to help us raise the money to transform the Old Library into a new community space and a permanent home for our creative participation activity.

Old Library in Cheap Street, the old stained glass windows in what will be the upstairs engagement space Ref: 08-1024K

“This area of our work provides a wide range of inclusive opportunities with specific projects for young people, schools, under-fives and new parents, over-55s and a thriving youth theatre.

“It provides a lifeline to many local people and is more vital now than ever before; reducing social isolation and loneliness within our community; improving mental health locally; and supporting young people in building confidence and self-esteem.

“The Old Library is the perfect new space and we are asking for your support to help open up this historic, much-loved Newbury building for our community.

“With dedicated engagement spaces, a small café/bar and a place to gather and connect with others, the possibilities for our communities are really exciting.”

Old Library in Cheap Street, Ffexible engagement and performance space Ref: 08-1024B

Old Library in Cheap Street, a lift will be installed here to the upstairs engagement space Ref: 08-1024E

The Newbury Weekly News and newburytoday will keep you updated about the project.

Visit visit the website www.cornexchangenew.com/oldlibrary for further information and further updates on the campaign and to donate.

Arts and Entertainment Trish Lee