What was once a spinning mill, a school, a library, a political headquarters and a concert hall? The answer, in some cases, is the same building.
A new, free exhibition at St Laurence Church explores the surprising history of the buildings and streets around the church. Open from Friday, 28 August until Monday 28 September, it reveals how this part of the town has been at the centre of community life for more than 600 years.
‘St Laurence Quarter’, created by Stroud Local History Society in support of the church regeneration project, brings together the stories of St Laurence Church, the Shambles, the Market House – now the Old Town Hall – Lansdown Hall and other historic buildings around the church.
“St Laurence Church is the foundational building of Stroud, and, over the centuries, the town has developed around it and its churchyards,’ said Camilla Hale, Community Engagement Lead for The National Lottery Heritage-funded St Laurence Restored Project. ‘This is an exciting new exhibition put together by the supportive Stroud Local History Society to build the idea of a St Laurence Quarter. We are delighted to be hosting this exhibition, which brings together so many fascinating stories about the buildings and people that have shaped Stroud.”
For exhibition co-ordinator and historian Marion Hearfield, one of the pleasures of local history is discovering something unexpected.
‘Stroud has such a long history that it gives us great satisfaction when visitors to our exhibitions say, ‘Well, I didn’t know that!’ Something new always turns up – sometimes in time to put into the exhibition and sometimes as a story or photograph brought in by a visitor. We really enjoy those conversations, and more than one of our local history books has been prompted by a casual question. For this exhibition, it has been a delight to work with Franklyn Bovey and Andy Evans, the church historians.’
The exhibition shows that the story of St Laurence Quarter is not simply about preserving old buildings. It is about how those buildings have continually been re-used to meet the changing needs of the town.
St Laurence Church has served the community since the medieval period, while the Shambles market grew up around it. The Market House, built in 1596 and now known as the Old Town Hall, has had many lives of its own, including as a school and spinning mill, as well as a venue for magistrates and local government.
Perhaps the most remarkable example is Lansdown Hall, which has been a Temperance Hall, grammar school, part of the School of Art and Museum, the headquarters of both the Liberal and Conservative parties, a concert hall and a children’s play centre. Today it has found yet another life as an art gallery and meeting space.
Other buildings have followed similarly unexpected paths. The old Grammar School became Stroud’s first public library, while the building now occupied by the indoor market was originally constructed as a Corn Exchange for local farmers. Over the years it has also been used by the church for social and parish events and as a venue for everything from concerts and blood donation sessions to community meetings.
‘Stroud lost several of its old buildings in the 1960s and 1970s but has since become very good at re-using them rather than knocking them down,’ says Marion.
The exhibition also traces the changing role of the area’s markets, churchyards and public spaces – from the busy outdoor markets of earlier centuries to today’s Bank Gardens, where festivals and community celebrations continue to bring people together.
Together, these stories reveal a simple but striking truth: the centre of Stroud has never stood still.
St Laurence Quarter exhibition runs at St Laurence Church from Friday 28 August to Monday 28 September 2026.
