St George's Guildhall

How Theatres Trust is supporting a local authority to sensitively restore Britain's oldest working theatre

With over 500 years of performances happening under its roof, St George’s Guildhall in King’s Lynn has a special place in theatre and performance history.

Built between 1410 and 1420, the Grade I listed Guildhall has the oldest known working theatrical stage and is believed to be the only remaining theatre today at which William Shakespeare himself performed.

But in 2015, under the ownership of the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, the Guildhall closed its doors as a performance venue.

Theatres Trust, along with a passionate group of local people, advocated strongly for theatre to be reinstated on the site, highlighting a lack of space for fringe and amateur productions in King’s Lynn, which the theatre had previously accommodated, and its special historic and cultural significance as the oldest known working theatre.

Initially different uses for the site had been considered, but local support for the theatre was overwhelming and in 2024 the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk announced its intent to transform the Guildhall into a cultural and creative hub through a multi-million pound heritage-led regeneration project which would see theatre use return to the site.  

It’s estimated this new hub will boost the local economy by £30m, create 117 new jobs in Kings Lynn, and significantly increase footfall in the town centre, all while providing local communities with access to leading creative and cultural facilities.

In 2024 we supported the planning application for the theatre element of this project, which will improve the accessibility, function, and layout of the building as well as help with wider regeneration efforts.

Most recently we provided the theatre with a letter of support as part of its application to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Capital Fund programme to support the regeneration works. The application was successful with the theatre receiving £721,330 for critical repairs and upgrades, and our letter was commended by Historic England as a contributing factor to its success.

We are pleased to see such excellent progress on the restoration of this historically significant theatre and look forward to the Guildhall’s return as a vibrant cultural hub for the people of King’s Lynn.

This case study was produced as part of our Fifty@50 campaign to mark our 50th anniversary in 2026.

Photo credit: Ian Grundy