Shrewsbury Guildhall transformed into seat of learning for university
What was once the seat of decision-making for Shrewsbury Town Council has become a seat of learning for students at Shropshire's newest university.
The Guildhall in Frankwell was home to councillors, the coroner's court and the town's register office as well as the place to go for all things to do with parking, council tax and benefits.
But now it has been transformed into the town centre base for University Centre Shrewsbury (UCS) – complete with administration areas, 'chill out' spaces and the all-important teaching rooms.
And it is more than just a lick of paint and some new soft furnishings that have transformed the space from a pillar of democracy to a seat of learning.
The centre is overseen by provost Professor Anna Sutton and deputy provost Paul Kirkbright who work closely with the vice-chancellor of the university in Chester.
UCS has been established by the University of Chester and Shropshire Council with all undergraduate courses, including history, English, applied psychology, business management, biochemistry and sport management, being accredited by the University of Chester.
The Guildhall opened in 2004 and was the home of Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council before it was abolished in 2009 and the town council came into being.
Once the university took the building over, work began to transform it.
Between 60 and 70 plasterers, painters, decorators, electricians, carpet fitters, plumbers and lab and IT specialists have been involved in the 12-week project.
"It has been a bit of a challenge," said Mr Kirkbright. "Three months sounds quite a long time but to turn this building around it was very short. It is all very exciting."
Gone are the powder blue walls and open plan spaces of the town council. In their places are bright primary colours, each tailored to a certain block of the college.
A is yellow, B blue, C green and D red. Everything from the wall paint to the furniture and carpet is colour co-ordinated.
There are 12 seminar rooms, numerous workrooms, a lecture theatre that seats between 120 and 140 students, four PC suites and five labs. There is a library, coffee shop, health and fitness area and a student common room.
Everything is sleek and thought through. "It is very satisfying to see it all come together," said Mr Kirkbright.
"I have been involved with this since the idea was first mooted and to see it go from the drawing board to actual realisation is wonderful. At present we have between 80 and 100 students enrolled here but we see that growing with time until, in around a decade, we are able to be a stand alone university.
"We would need around 2,000 and 2,500 students to do that and I believe that is perfectly possible. That would be a mixture of post graduates, undergraduates and international students. However, we don't want to rush things. We want there to be a steady and incremental growth.
This is a long term development. Shrewsbury needs to grow into being a university town rather than one that has that thrust upon it."
The former reception area of the town council has been turned in to a business lounge filled with comfy chairs and low tables which is used by students and staff for informal meetings and chats.
Next door the coroner's court and registry office has become a lecture space which seats up to 140 people and will be used both for staff and student conferences.
Along the corridor is a series of seminar rooms, all colour co-ordinated and fitted with tilt top, palette and standard tables.
"These help to enhance the teaching and learning experience," said Mr Kirkbright.
"Some of them are set under the eaves which makes for a very nice learning experience. Others have fantastic views out across the river to the castle or towards St Chad's. How could you not be inspired with a view like that? There are no two seminar rooms the same."
Block D is home to the library, Students' Union and the students' common room. The red theme prevails from the colour block walls to the furniture.
Mr Kirkbright added: "We
have been really lucky with this whole process. The community have been great and we are soon going to host an open evening for anyone who wants to come along and have a look round to do so. Hopefully people will like it. The reaction we have had so far has been really positive."
