A company moving into offices in a small Welsh town have been left stunned after discovering a 'secret' hall inside their new building. The hall, which is not believed to have been used in several decades, was found on the top floor of the former HSBC bank in Llanrwst, with the new tenants left wondering how the space came to be.
The team at local community translation company Menter Iaith Conwy made the surprise discovery after moving into the building in the town centre in 2019, North Wales Live reports. While they share the bottom two floors of the historic building with two other groups, they soon learnt that there was a hidden hall above them, with the owners now at a loss for what they should do with it.
According to the company, the vast empty space on the top floor has not been used for at least 60 years, during which time the building was used as a bank. Get the latest news from across Wales sent straight to your inbox for free by signing up to our newsletters.
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Chief Executive of Menter Iaith Conwy, Meirion Davies said the company recently learnt that the space was orginally home to a magistrate's court, before serving as a reading room. The building was built in 1860 by Samuel Giveran Parry, having been designed by architect Edmund Kirby.
Mr Davies added that Menter Iaith Conwy were keen to re-open the top floor and adapt into a "vibrant space" for the town to use, while also protecting its rich history.
"The hall itself had been sealed away and mothballed for many years while the building was used as a bank," he said. "We don't yet have much information as what the space was used for before, though we have recently learnt that it was a Magistrate's Court originally and later served as a reading room, having been built in 1860.
"We hope to learn more about this hidden hall before adapting it into a vibrant space for the use of the town, while also preserving the history of the building. At the moment the hall is sealed for protection (from the elements) but it has no electricity or heating."
The company has also held an open day for people to come and see the space, as well as offer views on how to develop it. They are currently working with a team of architects and engineers to try and find out what's physically possible to do with the loft space, while they also hope to uncover more of the building's history.
In the meantime, however, the space is set to be used by the local judo club over the summer when 'it is warm enough to do so', while individuals and smaller groups can also requests the chance to come and view the space.
Mr Davies added: "Once we will have received ideas from the public and then adapt our plans and calculate the cost of the development, we will begin work on grant applications to implement the renovation work."
Anyone looking for more information about the building should contact Menter Iaith Conwy.
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