Constitutional Hall

For many years this lovely old building was known as Thorpe's Bookshop, which sold both new and second hand books. Apparently, this shop was also a favourite of the actress Yvonne Arnuad who in the mid 1950s lived nearby in London Road, Guildford.

Inside, after climbing the slightly rickety wooden stairs, the upper floor opens up to a large vaulted space and you could lose many a quiet lunch hour browsing through the eclectic mix of old books.

According to the FOLKES PHOTOGRAPHY website, "The Constitutional Hall on Guildford High Street was built in 1886 for the purpose of furthering the interests of the Conservative Party in Guildford. It could accommodate 400 people and the speakers' platform is still in place. It was also used for dances, concerts and dinners. Subsequently, it was used as an early 'picture house', one of the country's first 100 cinemas."

A few years ago, Thorpe's bookshop sadly closed down and the hall has recently housed a sportwear/boarding shop, then it remained empty for a good while with the windows just used for advertising, and its latest reincarnation is as the Dwell Interiors shop that opened as recently as February 2012.

Personally, I would love to see the Constitutional Hall be the home of an antiques centre - something that Guildford town centre sadly lacks in my opinion.