Newbridge Memo Redevelopment
Celynen Collieries Institute & Memorial hall are Grade II and Grade II* listed buildings in the heart of Newbridge, South Wales. The Institute building which opened in 1908 is a lasting monument to the miners who worked so hard to build it and the Memorial Hall built in 1924 serves as a memorial to the local servicemen who lost their lives during WWI.
The Redevelopment
When threatened with permanent closure, Howard Stone and other local volunteers stepped in to begin the long process of retaining what was left of the building, and to get it back on its feet once again.
For Mr Stone and his colleagues, the prospect of selling the building to Wetherspoons, or even knocking it down altogether in order for a car park to be built there, was incomprehensible.
Celynen Collieries Institute and Memorial Hall – better known as the Newbridge Memo – is a set of grade II-listed buildings, located just off the town’s high street. It was originally built to commemorate the people who died during the First World War and was a hub for local miners throughout most of the 20th century.
Mr Stone said: “It was a very successful cinema and ballroom until the 1970s but then television took over and cinema sadly went downhill. The cinema at the Memo eventually closed in 1971.
“The ballroom kept going, but of course, after the closure of the mines, the miners themselves lost control of it; their social lives changed.
“In the end, unfortunately, it was down to mismanagement. The Memo was hopelessly in debt by the early part of the 21st century – it just had to close down. But the sudden threat of selling it on or knocking it down brought a group of us together.”
Friends of the Newbridge Memo reopened it in April/May 2003. We started off with just a few little events but once people saw we were serious, it took off and snowballed from there.”
Soon after Friends of the Newbridge Memo began, an opportunity arose for the Memo to enter Restoration, a BBC competition, which offered £3 million to the building most worthy of a financial boost to aid its makeover. But the Memo narrowly missed out and its volunteers were almost back to square one.
Plenty of well-known figures have thrown their support behind the campaign over the years including former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, Falklands hero Simon Weston, rock superstars the Manic Street Preachers and former local MP Lord Don Touhig. The Celtic Manor, owned by Newbridge-born Sir Terry Matthews, also helped the bid.
TIMELINE: The demise and rise of Newbridge Memo
1908 - The Celynen Collieries Institute was built to offer education and a library
1925 - The adjoining Newbridge Memorial Hall was opened in memory of local deaths in World War One
January 2003 – Newbridge Memo closes after it is crippled by debts following years of mismanagement.
April/May 2003 – The Memo is re-opened by a group of volunteers who do not want the building to be sold. Small events are held at the venue.
July 2004 – Argus becomes official newspaper partner of the restoration campaign, which is spearheaded by Friends of the Newbridge Memo.
August 2004 – The Memo loses out on the £3 million prize from BBC’s Restoration programme. It came a close second to the Old Grammar School and Saracen's Head at King's Norton Green Birmingham. Volunteers meet soon after and decide to continue despite the setback.
March 2007 – Fundraising for the Newbridge Memo receives a major boost after Welsh historic monuments body Cadw handed over £130,000. Officials visited the Art Deco style Miners Institute and Memorial Hall and decided they wanted to support restoration efforts. They earmarked the cash to go towards repairing the roof. The Welsh Government, Caerphilly County Borough Council and the Big Lottery follow suit with funding.
February 2008 - Friends of the Newbridge Memo are told funds to restore the historic building will be slashed by the Heritage Lottery because of the diversion of funds to the 2012 London Olympics. The group re-think their plans and say they will have to put the restoration of the old cinema on hold until at least 2012 to cut the project costs to just £3.2 million.
July 2009 - Caerphilly council grant permission for the landmark building to be restored to its former glory. At a planning meeting, the council agreed that refurbishment and repair work on the Memorial Hall and the Celynen Collieries Workmen’s Institute buildings should go ahead. Plans include an information resource centre, meeting rooms and a function room to be installed at the institute. Meanwhile the memorial hall next door will have its ballroom retained but its auditorium, which was previously used as a cinema and theatre, will be restored and a seating block will be installed. It is also announced there are plans to build a new link between the institute and the hall.
July 2010 - Work to restore Newbridge's historic Memo takes a step closer after campaigners secure £2.9 million of Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) cash.
November 2010 - Thousands of pounds worth of damage is caused to the Memo after thieves stripped lead from its roof, letting in torrential rain to flood the building. The theft led to the roof above the coffee bar and kitchen falling in, with water pouring down stairs and leaving the room under an inch of water.
January 2012 – Officials are given a first glimpse of work undertaken at the Memo. Representatives of heritage body Cadw and housing, regeneration and heritage minister Huw Lewis meet architects at the venue.
November 2012 - Phase one of the £5.6 million restoration of Newbridge Memo is put back to March 2013 – around three months later than planned. Mr Stone said bad weather set work back, while the construction firm working there found it to be a more complex job than first envisaged.
July 2013 - The first phase of the £5.6m Newbridge Memorial Hall is officially unveiled by Manic Street Preachers frontman, and former Memo employee, James Dean Bradfield. He describes the huge role Newbridge Memo has played in his career, comparing his time there to "the price of an education”.
February 2015 - Newbridge Memo celebrated 90 years and the completion of its restoration by holding a sold out gala concert featuring Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield. Roy Noble hosted the evening after prominently supporting the multi-million pound restoration of the auditorium. James Dean Bradfield played with Wynne Evans, and other performers including Mark Porter and his swing band, Richard Beavis, Samantha Lavender, Robert Knight and Mandy Starr.
Text taken from the South Wales Argus.
