A  new Cultural Centre and Museum

We plan to bring the Town Hall back to life, creating a space which celebrates the people, stories and culture of the Isles of Scilly.

Our much-loved Grade II listed Town Hall in Hugh Town, St Mary’s, has always been a place for the community to gather and to welcome visitors.

Now - led by the Council of the Isles of Scilly working in partnership with the Isles of Scilly Museum - there are plans to rejuvenate that legacy by creating an attractive, year-round flexible venue. It will act as a new home to the museum, provide a welcoming indoor performance space for live music and theatre and act as an essential community hall.

View of the front of the museum, in a rendered visual supplied by Purcell. The illustration shows the exterior of the museum, cing the front of the museum from the opposite side of the street.

  • Meet the Board of Trustees

    After a rigorous recruitment process, the Isles of Scilly Cultural Centre and Museum has appointed four new trustees to form the inaugural Board for the new organisation.

    The trustees will help bring new thinking, views and experience to support the exciting transformation of the Town Hall and bring our new Cultural Centre and Museum into reality.

    Find out more

  • Building firm appointed as construction phase approaches

    The Cultural Centre and Museum project has progressed significantly and is nearing the point where construction can begin.

    We’re delighted to announced that we have entered into a contract with the construction company Stepnell and they will undertake the required building work to help realise our vision for the Town Hall.

    Read more

  • Our 2024 Events Programme

    Find out more about this year’s Culture on Scilly events programme, supported by Arts Council England.

    From Miracle Theatre’s Love Riot to a summer performance of The Little Mermaid, from Afro-Caribbean sounds with Kizamba to a critically-acclaimed production of Moby Dick, we’ve put together an exciting arts programme this year.

    Find Out More

  • How do we plan to fund the Cultural Centre and Museum project?

    As we await news of our NHLF funding application - the final piece in the jigsaw for funding the project - we are sharing an overview of how the project would be funded.

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  • National Lottery Heritage Fund team visit St Mary’s

    The Cultural Centre and Museum project team were delighted to welcome colleagues from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to St Mary’s at the end of February, providing an opportunity to showcase our plans for the renovated Town Hall.

    Find out more
 

The new Museum and Cultural Centre will include:

  • A first-class museum to showcase permanent collections, library and archives, encapsulating the stories of the archipelago and signposting visitors to the off-islands;

  • Year-round entertainment with flexible space (including retractable seating) for performances, talks, music and cinema;

  • Showcasing local art, food, products and crafts with space for markets, galleries, seasonal events and festivals;

  • Skills and learning providing opportunities for young people and adults to develop informally and improving employability;

  • Promoting community wellbeing, sociability and creativity through safe, welcoming and inclusive breakout and communal spaces for groups;

  • Venue hire for private functions and community events, with retail and café space.

Museum

Cultural Centre

Island Hall

Get Involved

We want to make sure that the new Town Hall represents the views and needs of everyone who will use it. There’s lots of ways you can contribute to the conversation, and to support the project.

Read our latest blog posts for updates on the progress of the Cultural Centre and Museum project.