Holyhead Market Hall

From crumbling ruins to community cornerstone

Introduction

Holyhead Market Hall, a Grade II-listed building established in 1855, stood neglected for decades in the centre of town. Once a vibrant local landmark, it had fallen into ruin after closing in the 1960s. Recognising the potential for transformation, Isle of Anglesey Council commissioned us to lead its regeneration, aiming to revive the building as a vital community asset.

Following a feasibility study, Purcell developed a bold vision for the building, transforming it into a welcoming community hub. The new design reimagines the hall as a multi-use facility housing a public library, meeting and event spaces, flexible work areas and support services. This ambitious brief was underpinned by a deep respect for the building’s historic character and the needs of the people it serves.

It is a building that matters, and feels embedded in the community. The potential of this project to be a pilot of town centre regeneration across the UK is powerful, and the project will extend beyond its walls.

– AJ100 Awards Judging Panel 2021

Community ownership

A far-reaching consultation programme shaped the design, ensuring that the renewed market hall reflected local aspirations and created a genuine sense of ownership. The result is a building that is not only preserved but reactivated for future generations.

The scheme centralises the community’s library, information, and support resources, helping people into training and employment. A mezzanine expands user capacity, delivering flexible spaces that support the growth of local businesses, community groups, and skills development, as well as creating crucial revenue streams via private hire.

The hall is also fully accessible. Local users, such as the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), had a real impact on the design, contributing towards elements such as levels of visual contrast. The building integrated one of the first publicly accessible Changing Places facilities in Anglesey.

Low-impact interventions

A key brief requirement was to ensure the project achieved the maximum environmental sustainability possible. Despite the building’s listed status, the scheme achieved a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating through a series of low-impact interventions. Passive ventilation, solar thermal and photovoltaic panels, natural insulation materials and underfloor heating systems were all sensitively integrated. Original timber trusses were retained and exposed, roof voids were fitted with bat and bird boxes to enhance biodiversity, and reclaimed materials were reused throughout in line with circular economy principles.

Lime-hemp plaster and woodwool insulation allow the original masonry walls to regulate moisture retention while improving thermal performance. A re-roofing programme enabled discreet energy upgrades while preserving the architectural identity of the hall, including new Welsh slate and wider lead gutters designed to harvest grey water for sanitation.

Collectively these active/passive measures enhanced the building’s environmental sustainability, minimising its whole life carbon impact.

Urban regeneration

Holyhead Market Hall is more than a conservation success story: it is a model for how historic buildings can be imaginatively repurposed.

The rejuvenated site drives economic stimulus for wider urban regeneration, drawing increased footfall and associated spending from both residents and visitors into the town centre.

Completed in 2021 at a construction cost of £4.2m, with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, European Regional Development Fund, and Anglesey Council, the restored hall now plays a vital role in local life. It has been recognised with multiple awards, including the AJ100 Community Impact Award, Civic Trust Award, and RICS Social Impact Award.