Portsmouth Guildhall receives £499,000 funding from Arts Council England to continue 'renaissance' of city centre venue

The trust is among 66 cultural organisations across the country to benefit from a share of over £22.7 million from Arts Council England’s Capital Investment Programme.

The award to The Guildhall Trust will transform the basement area of Portsmouth Guildhall in the next phase of its ambitious overhaul of the iconic Concert Hall.

The basement transformation will deliver a multi-purpose creative space with a high-tech multimedia suite including rehearsal rooms, a recording studio, and a DJ pod.

Open as creative drop-in facility, the dedicated space will also be used for workshops and skills training.

Andy Grays, CEO of The Guildhall Trust, said: ‘We are delighted to have been awarded this support from Arts Council England which enables us to progress our ambitious programme of Renaissance for Portsmouth Guildhall and deliver an exciting transformation of the venue’s basement area to provide an outstanding resource for young people and emerging artists.

‘The state-of-the art facilities will support and enable all young creative practitioners from our community to build and develop their creative skills and to explore their passion for music and the arts.’

Other planed improvements to the city centre venue include new bar facilities, renovated toilets, wider foyers for better accessibility, and new gallery spaces.

The grant comes after the Guildhall hosted a record sell-out Comic Con event, with 8,000 people attending to celebrate the culture of popular comics, film, video games, and TV shows.