ID237 Reimagining Keele Hall as a Creative and Cultural Community Asset

The Idea

Keele Hall is one of Keele University’s most significant heritage assets, yet its current use is largely limited to conferences, weddings, and formal University events. While these activities generate income and visibility, they do not provide a sustainable or sufficiently public-facing purpose to secure the Hall’s long-term future or unlock major heritage funding opportunities. 

This proposal reimagines Keele Hall as a creative, cultural, and civic hub that connects heritage, learning, sustainability, and community engagement. The Hall would become a place where the University’s founding ethos of interdisciplinarity and public purpose is made visible and accessible. 

Alongside conferences, weddings and formal bookings, Keele Hall could act as an interpretive gateway to the wider campus: helping visitors, students, and local communities engage with Keele’s estate history, geological deep time, post-war educational innovation, and future-facing sustainability initiatives, including the Energy Park. Through exhibitions, artist-led projects, and guided trails, the Hall would connect heritage with contemporary challenges such as climate change, energy transition, and long-term thinking. 

Rather than functioning as a traditional museum, Keele Hall would be a dynamic, living space: supporting artistic practice, public dialogue, learning across generations, and a deeper connection between the University and its communities.

Why This Idea Should Be Considered

Keele University sits within a recognised priority area for heritage funding, strengthening the case for investment that delivers public benefit, social inclusion, and community participation. Funders such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund prioritise access, engagement, learning, and long-term sustainability—criteria that Keele Hall currently struggles to meet. 

This proposal aligns closely with Keele’s strategic direction, including its emphasis on the humanities, creativity, civic responsibility, and sustainability. By linking heritage to contemporary research, environmental leadership, and public engagement, Keele Hall can unlock new funding opportunities while strengthening the University’s civic role and distinctiveness. 

How We Would Implement This Idea

Initial implementation would focus on restoring and reopening the currently unused third floor of Keele Hall, subject to feasibility, safety, and compliance work. This space could be developed as a dedicated creative and cultural area, separate from commercial hospitality functions. 

Potential uses include artist-in-residence studios, creative workshops, community / student project spaces, small exhibitions, talks, and performances linked to Keele’s academic strengths. Alongside this, the Hall could include flexible interpretation and visitor hub functions, connecting people to the wider campus through guided tours, sustainability and energy narratives, heritage trails, and public art linked to the Long View Art project. 

What Success Would Look Like

Success would see Keele Hall established as a living heritage asset that is publicly accessible, creatively active, and valued by diverse communities. The Hall would function as a place of dialogue between University and public, supporting creativity, reflection, and lifelong learning alongside academic life. 

It would also embody Keele’s commitment to long-term thinking, connecting deep historical and geological time with contemporary environmental stewardship and future energy transitions. In an era shaped by AI and rapid technological change, Keele Hall would stand as a powerful symbol of the enduring relevance of the humanities, arts, sustainability, and human connection. 

Without significant investment, Keele Hall's long-term sustainability is at risk. This proposal offers a way to move beyond a purely commercial or passive heritage model, repositioning the Hall as a vibrant cultural and community asset. 

By opening its doors, physically and creatively, Keele University has the opportunity to honour its past, serve its present community, and make a compelling case for funders to invest in its future.