Hello everyone and welcome to the Finchingfield Guildhall short renovation clip. We hope to demonstrate to you how the renovations have been implemented and how the Guildhall will now be used in order to entertain and educate people young and old on the only secular building available to the public.
Over many seasons, the building work has finally been completed, so let’s take a look inside!
Here we have the entrance to the guildhall and the shop. Firstly, you can see that we have easily accessible toilets which have been positioned near the entrance/exit for practicality. Right, into the shop. The shop is used by the whole community, including school children not just from the local areas but from other boroughs as well. We have stocked lots of inexpensive merchandise such as pencils, rubbers and notepads with the Guildhall logo on them to remind the purchasers of their visit to this historic building. The shop also stocks pieces of work from famous novelists such as Dodie Smith, the mastermind behind “101 Dalmatians” and Norman Lewis who wrote “Naples 44”. A watercolour collection by Arthur Legge will also be available in the shop too.
Now we are moving from the shop to the Museum area. Arthur Legge’s daughter, Phyllis, designed a map of Finchingfield and the original was given to the Guildhall. This has been printed on the modern lino which covers the floor in the temporary exhibition area of the Museum. This area joins the shop to the Museum and the space will be used in the future so that local groups and societies can give educational talks and displays to the public.
In the main museum area, the various items will be displayed in a series of glass tables with interactive touch-screen technology. This will promote learning by displaying the objects in their best possible light and help explain the history behind this ancient building. The technology used in the glass tables is inspired by the Darwin Centre in the Natural History Museum and the aim of using this technology is to make it easier to change the content of the displays more frequently, therefore making the museum a fun, family-friendly, interesting place to visit and learn from. There are also speakers situated throughout the museum area which will play recordings about the history of Finchingfield, particularly about what the village used to be like when there was a more agricultural-based economy. This would be interesting for the older generation so they can reminisce on the “good old days” and for the younger generation to gain an idea on what life was like before they were even thought of!
Moving on to the library, there is a massive stock containing a variety of different books which will interest anyone who visits. The idea is to create a cosy room, with fireplaces to give a warm and welcoming atmosphere and sofas in order to encourage parents and children to read together in a quiet environment. Also in the library, there is a photocopier as there is not one available locally and it has been requested and greatly welcomed by the village occupants and computers with fast broadband access.
That’s it for the ground floor, moving up onto the first floor.
Here we have more toilets and baby changing facilities to meet the needs of visitors.
Now, in the guild room, it has been restored to the original Guildhall layout and it can be utilised in many different ways and for various different uses. When the building was new, around 1470AD, it was used by the Guild of the Holy Trinity for religious purposes and as a school. The idea is to continue using this building in a multitude of different ways so that it can not only meet the needs of the Finchingfield community, but also the needs of other boroughs and nearby villages as well so they too can benefit from this unique building and its histories.
Right, time for the kitchen. The kitchen is where all meals and drinks are carefully prepared for consumption by the visitors of the Guildhall. Prices are very reasonable and money will be used to help improve the Guildhall even further.
Well that’s the new Guildhall! We hope you enjoyed our renovation clip!
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