Floral Hall

The Floral Hall stands in the seaside town of Hornsea on the Yorkshire coast. Built in 1913, it is a small iron-and-glass pavilion designed by J. K. Barr and W. H. Heywood. The hall cost over £1,500 to erect and originally seated 600 people under its glazed roof. It opened with a cafe and soon hosted concerts, plays and dances through the 1920s. A new cafe and heating were added in that decade, keeping the building busy. After the Second World War the hall was altered twice more, in the 1950s and 1960s. Nikolaus Pevsner criticised the changes as heavy-handed, calling the result “much mutilated.” By 2012 the council planned to demolish the loss-making building. Public objection led instead to its sale for a single pound to a local community group. Today the hall belongs to the town and remains an entertainment space. Its iron frame and glass roof still define the interior, while the cafe continues to serve visitors. The surrounding streets lead down to Hornsea Mere, the largest freshwater lake in Yorkshire. The building’s modest scale and seaside setting make it a quiet landmark worth a short detour.