Theatre secures extra £1m for revamp

25 August 2025

Holly PhillipsBBC News

News image — The venue was built in 1827 as a sessions house and jail before being converted to a theatre in 1984

Tim Ronalds Architects An architect's colour drawing shows a building with stone columns at the front in a Greek temple style. It is a single-storey building at the back with a grand entrance featuring four columns. Various families and couples are walking around the area in front of the building which is partly shadowed by two large trees. — The venue was built in 1827 as a sessions house and jail before being converted to a theatre in 1984

A historic theatre in Lincolnshire is set to undergo a major transformation after being awarded a £1m grant from Historic England.

The Grade II listed Sessions House in Spilsby, Lincolnshire, has already received £5m from the government's Levelling Up Fund to go towards the revamp.

The venue has been on the Theatres Trust at-risk register since 2015 but the funding will allow it to reopen as a community hub celebrating art and culture.

East Lindsey District Council member Graham Marsh described it as a "key part of the community" and said the investment would help "bring life back" into the building.

Plans to revamp the building were submitted to the council in April and include a new café, a meeting room, offices, a heritage display and an outdoor seating area.

The new grant will fund conservation work on the roof and brickwork along with the repair and replacement of windows, the district council said.

Tim Ronalds Architects An architect's drawing of the inside of the foyer at Spilsby Sessions House. There is a bar, window seating with high stools and bistro-style tables and chairs. — An office space and a café will feature as part of the multi-million-pound revamp

Charity trustee Bruce Knight said early-stage planning to open the venue was under way and he added that efforts were continuing to secure funding for preparation work.

Spilsby Sessions House has also applied for an Arts Council grant to complete the internal fit-out required.

Marsh said the funding for the venue was "crucial for the redevelopment and for the investment into the Lincolnshire Wolds".

The theatre's revamp, alongside the restoration of Alford Manor House and Alford Windmill, is part of the council's £8m Lincolnshire Wolds Culture & Heritage Wolds programme.

It will see Alford Windmill get a new visitor centre and Alford Manor House benefit from a new function room.

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