Weymouth: Protest over state of Old Assembly Rooms

An hour-long protest took place outside the Old Rooms Inn on Saturday after concerns were raised over the condition of the Old Assembly Rooms on Trinity Street close to Weymouth Harbour.

As previously reported, residents had tried to pressure the owners of the property, Greene King Brewery, for a number of years regarding the seventeenth century building after it was reported that guttering had fallen, as well as holes in the ceiling.

The Old Assembly Rooms on Trinity Street in Weymouth (Image: Alfie Lumb) According to Greene King, the property is not registered in their name, and they can not undertake work on the listed building without registering its ownership with the land registry- to apply for listed building consent. For now, only work to the outside of the building can be carried out.

Mark Vine, a local historian and member of pressure group Dig The Street, organised the protest, which made its way to the outside of the rooms. He said: “Around 40 people turned up in the end which was a great turn out of support for such an important building in Weymouth’s history. A very big thank you to those who did and offered their online support.

Mark Vine outside the Old Assembly Rooms on Trinity Street in Weymouth (Image: Alfie Lumb) “Greene King are making everyone who cares about Weymouth's history and heritage hurt, so it's only right and proper that they get to feel pain too.”

Mr Vine added that he hopes protesters would share the images online to highlight what he describes as Greene King’s ‘infamy, lack of care for safety and sheer wanton neglect of what is probably our town’s oldest building.’

Protesters were seen chanting ‘Greene King- sort it out’ outside the pub, before moving to the Old Assembly Rooms.

Protesters outside the Old Assembly Rooms (Image: Claire Wiles)

Dating from the early seventeenth century, the Old Assembly Rooms is a Grade II listed building. 

The building was the backdrop for the Battle of Weymouth on February 27, 1645. Around 250 Irish royalist soldiers are said to have died outside the walls of the Assembly Rooms.

Ted Tranter's watercolour of Trinity Street, painted around 1970 (Image: Mark Vine)
Originally a home, the building became the town’s first assembly rooms in the 1760s, when a new wing was added for balls and concerts.

King George III and his family are also said to have visited the rooms, with the monarch spending much time there during his trips to the south coast.

Another protest is being planned in the future to keep the pressure on the brewery, according to Mr Vine.