Ramsbottom Co-op Hall awarded Grade II listed status

Theatres Trust is delighted that our application to Historic England has been successful.

The building was added to our Theatres at Risk Register in January, in recognition that it is a rare example of its type, an important building in the history of Co-operative movement and as it had been under threat of redevelopment.

In its listing decision Historic England references the theatre’s architectural and historic interest as an early surviving example of a Co-operative Hall built to provide a gathering place for the working class community for arts and education, as well as highlighting a number of original features that remain intact.

Theatres Trust Director Jon Morgan says ‘We are delighted that Ramsbottom Co-op Hall has been granted Grade II listed status by Historic England, giving this rare building greater protection from irreversible redevelopment. Like all the buildings on our Theatres at Risk list, we believe Ramsbottom Co-op  Hall has a viable future as a venue for its community.

“Theatres Trust commends Bury Metropolitan Borough Council for taking the important step of serving a Building Preservation Notice to give the building temporary protection while the listing application was being reviewed, an approach that we’d encourage more local authorities to take. We are also pleased that James Daly MP for Bury North has taken a keen interest in the building and we look forward to working with him and other stakeholders in the future”.

Read more about Ramsbottom Co-op Hall

Image from Ken Howarth www.heritagephotoarchive.co.uk,