With the keys in hand, Weston Town Council has purchased the Weston Mercury Building, thus securing the future of this iconic listed building in Waterloo Street which was designed by architect Hans Price.
The Town Council has been expanding over recent years taking on services like the Weston Museum, Ellenborough Park and public toilets all of which would otherwise have been closed to the public. Their offices are currently split between Grove House, Grove Lodge and Milton Cemetery and there isn’t enough office space for staff and no adequate meeting rooms. The building will accommodate new offices, meeting rooms, a Mayor’s Parlour and space for community groups and historic archives.
The visitor information centre will also be relocated at the Mercury Building to provide information to both visitors and local residents, whilst keeping the satellite visitor information centre at the Water Park on the seafront as well as mobile information from the two Tuk Tuks and ‘welcome guides’.
In coming years improvements will be made to its environmental performance, accessibility and the historic front façade restored and cleaned.
The building in Waterloo Street has been the office of Weston Mercury and North Somerset Times for many years. The building went up for sale in May last year as the company is relocating in Weston but had lain empty for many months.
Town clerk Malcolm Nicholson said ‘The Mercury Building is a beautiful Victorian building designed by famous architect Hans Price and has served the local community for over a hundred years as the base of the town’s local paper. We were sorry to hear that it was being vacated, risking it lying empty and deteriorating and it’s great that a deal has been done which will mean that it will be saved and reopened to the public for town council and community use.’