A community arts centre based in Grimsby’s docklands has received more than half a million pounds to restore and expand its facilities.
Unseen Arts will use £437,741 from Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Capital Fund and £150,000 from North East Lincolnshire Council’s Partnership Schemes in Conservation Areas repair grant scheme to regenerate two historic buildings on Auckland Road.
The project includes external repairs, reinstating traditional features, and making the buildings watertight. Inside, a new visual arts studio with ceramics facilities, an arts café and event space, and an extended performance studio are planned. Dedicated makers’ spaces will also be created for hire by artists.
Essential upgrades, such as roof work, reinstated windows, and an accessible toilet, form part of the programme.
Unseen Arts, a Community Interest Company founded in 2024, offers classes and workshops across aerial arts, performance, and visual arts. The redevelopment will allow the organisation to expand its programmes for adults, children, and young people.
The investment forms part of a wider heritage-led regeneration scheme launched in 2017, which has already supported the restoration of several buildings in the Port of Grimsby. A second phase of funding was approved earlier this year to continue the scheme for another three years.
Image credit: North East Lincolnshire Council
