temperance hall

We are repurposing this Grade II listed building to create a new arts facility for the community, and to support local creative businesses as part of the regeneration of our historic town centre.

We are restoring and repurposing Temperance Hall to create a new community printworks. This will include providing an exhibition space, print and design workspaces, and a well-equipped workshop with traditional printing presses that will host an exciting programme of courses, workshops and other ways for people to get involved.

The building was purchased in February 2024 and has been renovated through the UK Government’s Community Ownership Fund. Current interior renovations are being funded by Pembrokeshire County Council with funding from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund.

Read the Latest Temperance Hall News here

What was the building originally, and what is its history?

Click here to see more about the history of the building.

Temperance Hall is an iconic building, located at the top of the historic high street in Haverfordwest opposite St Mary’s Church. It is a Grade II listed building, built in 1888 by the local Temperance Society. Designed to accommodate 600 people in the main hall, it was built to house activities that would encourage abstinence from drinking alcohol.

By 1918 and the end of the First World War the building was no longer used for its original purpose. From 1920 to 1935 it operated as a cinema and during the Second World War it served as a billet for Dutch soldiers. Since then it has been a tax office, furniture store, and a second-hand shop.

In 1969 the Temperance Society sold the hall and it was converted into a bingo hall. An attempt was made to convert it into a nightclub in the early 1990s, but this met with strong local opposition. In 1999 it was sold to a local builder who ran it again as a bingo hall and function rooms. In 2004 a local branch of the Freemasons used it as their lodge.

After 2009 the building passed through a number of owners, but was unused until it was bought in 2024 by Haverfordwest Heritage.

How do WE intend to use the building?

The building will be leased to a local printmaker. The aim is for the building to become a community-centred printworks consisting of a printmaking studio with concessionary coffee shop and retail space with a small temporary exhibition area. We are working with our potential printmaking tenant, and are hoping that the lower ground floor will be rented to a social enterprise using a supported employment model to provide ancillary or technical services to the printmakers.

The building will be publicly accessible, and will also be used by people engaging with the printmakers and their work. This could be people visiting to see an exhibition or purchase merchandise during advertised open hours; it is anticipated that the printmakers will offer classes, workshops or wellbeing sessions based on their craft to a range of possible audiences.

It may also be possible to work with the printmakers in other ways, to commission work or engage in a range of other creative services offered. Because of the range of equipment incorporated into the building it may be that other creative practitioners will occasionally use of the building or the equipment.

Building WOrks

The building work is taking place over a number of phases, and is being undertaken by our contractors Tree & Son based in Milford Haven and the architect-led design team from Acanthus Holden based in Pembroke.

The first phase of works focussed on making the building waterproof and weathertight, and to start the process of reversing the decay caused by years of water ingress. This included repairing the roof, replacing slate tiles and re-flashing the parapets. Improvements were made to all of the gutters and downpipes, render has been repaired and repainted and broken windows and rotten wooden frames have been replaced.

The second phase is currently underway, and will seek to repair internal structural elements in the floors and the stairs, with a view that internal circulation spaces will begin to take shape.

We anticipate that he third phase will commence early in 2026, and will add plumbing, heating and electrics, and will include accessibility improvements and a finish to the spaces, meaning that the building will be ready for occupation and use.

We intend that the building will be ready by autumn-winter in 2026.

MURAL

In spring 2025 the scaffolding came down from Temperance Hall to reveal a beautifully repaired and repainted exterior. Also revealed on the west elevation is a large mural celebrating the reimagining of the building as a community printworks, which will be called Plas Gwasg – in English, the Print Palace.

The idea for the mural come from an original concept by Haverfordwest Heritage founder Richard Blacklaw-Jones. The mural was designed by a group of local printmakers who are working together to set up the community printworks in the building.

‘My original inspiration was old cinema poster graphics since Temperance Hall used to be a cinema in the 1920s.’ - Richard Blacklaw-Jones

The design was developed by local printmaker Heidi Baker, typography designer Theo Knipe and artist Zoe Murphy.

‘We wanted something with impact, but also something that is reminiscent of the beautiful ghost signs that you see on heritage buildings. It’s tucked away, we hope it will be a lovely surprise for people exploring the town on foot. We were very lucky to have the help of Zoe Murphy (@margategirl) who inked by hand all the illustrations of printmaking ephemera. Then Theo Knipe, a young graduate type designer, set out all the elements based on heritage letterpress, which is one of the many printmaking techniques we will have on offer at The Print Palace.’ - Heidi Baker

We are extremely grateful to the Pembrokeshire-based businesses: Lloyd The Graffiti for doing such a brilliant job painting the mural; Marcus Bunce of New Leaf Giclée for the large-format prints that Lloyd used to transfer the design to the wall; Cleddau Press for digital printing of the plans.

By re-inventing Temperance Hall, we are helping to restore Haverfordwest as a vibrant and exciting place to live, work and visit. Similar community printworks established in other towns have quickly become successful centres for fun and accessible art making for everyone who wants to have a go, as well as providing access to specialist equipment for professional printmakers. Please support us by sharing a memory of Temperance Hall below, and by subscribing to our newsletter below.

We are extremely grateful to our funders, the UK Government’s Community Ownership Fund for enabling us to purchase and renovate the building, with further funding support from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund delivered by Pembrokeshire County Council with funding from UK Government, and grants from the Architectural Heritage Fund with support from Cadw, and from the Sir John Perrot Trust.