Sir John Wilson Town Hall

Austin-Smith:Lord has assisted North Lanarkshire Venues team in refurbishment and essential conservation and improvements to the category ‘B’ Listed Town Hall and theatre within Airdrie.

The aims of the project was to restore the town hall to its early 20th Century grandeur and to turn it into a more active and usable venue for various artists and community groups. It is the main theatre venue within the environs of Airdrie and aims to promote an increasing range of events in tandem with a regular series of events at Motherwell Civic Theatre.

The hall was opened to the public in 1912, a free gift to the town by Sir John Wilson, a steel factory owner, and was designed by the local architectural practice of James Thomson and Sons.

The project involved financial support from HLF and other local agencies to allow a comprehensive refurbishment of the interior and exterior of the B listed building.

The work involves completed replacement of the natural slate roof and extensive repairs and re-dressing of external stonework. A new DDA compliant entrance was created into new exhibition area with cafe and bar facilities situated in a contemporary side extension.

The raked stage and original hemp ropes and pulleys together with old technical equipment were fully replaced with new flying grid, lighting and sound systems controlled from new bespoke control rooms in the main Theatre Hall and upper Lesser Hall.

In the Lesser Hall a cinema system with retractable screen has also been installed.