Grange Court is a Grade II* listed timber framed market hall, and is a Community, Heritage and Enterprise Hub. The building is owned by LARC Development Trust, a registered charity who bought the building from Herefordshire Council for £1.

The building was built by John Abel in 1633, and was originally located at the top of Broad Street where it was a market house. The market house was deemed as a traffic hazard in the mid nineteenth century and was dismantled. In 1859, John Arkwright bought the building and it was rebuilt where it is today and modified for use as family home to the Moore Family. It was a family home until 1939 until Leominster District Council purchased the building to save it from being dismantled and relocated to South Wales, where it would become the gatehouse to St Donats Castle. Until 2008, the Borough Council, the District Council and then the County Council had offices in Grange Court. After this, the redevelopments began to turn it into a Community, Heritage and Enterprise Hub.

Grange Court is a very interesting building with many displays and exhibitions. Much of the information on the building is presented on touchscreen tablets, that when placed against the touch points will provide lots of information about each display. There are rooms at Grange Court that can be rented for functions and events. The building is also licensed for weddings and civil ceremonies. Events take place at Grange Court such as Renaissance Music and Dance performances, storytelling and repair cafes.

My first week at Grange Court

I started working here as an apprentice on Monday 6^th January 2014. I was quite nervous before I arrived, but I was also very excited. I had met most of the people that also work here and they were all really nice and welcoming. This week I have done the tour of the building using the touchscreen tablets and I really enjoyed that. It was really interesting to learn all about the building and gain lots of information. I really enjoyed the display of the weight system and how some market traders could trick customers and tamper with the devices to con people out of money. I found this all highly interested and I really enjoyed looking around the whole building.

I have spent time on the computer doing research about an embroidery style called Trapunto. Leominster in Stitches came in and I sat in on a meeting about this Trapunto style. I found this very interesting and I think how it is done is very clever and the finished result looks fantastic. I have also spent time on the reception desk and giving visitors the tablets so they can also do the tour. I’ve really enjoyed being out on the reception desk and it’s lovely to speak to visitors and answer questions they have and socialise and build up a good reputation with them.

I really enjoy working at Grange Court and although I have only been here for a week, I know I will enjoy my time here learning all sorts of interesting facts and information and also being able to spend time with lovely people and enjoy my new working environment.