Bargain Hunt star to open Halls’ new headquarters
Celebrity antiques expert Tim Wonnacott will be in Shrewsbury today to perform the official opening of Halls’ multi-million pound, state-of-the-art headquarters and fine art salerooms.
Mr Wonnacott is no stranger to Halls’ auctions, having visited regularly in recent years as presenter of popular BBC television series Bargain Hunt when the company was based at the Welsh Bridge in Shrewsbury.
Around 400 invited guests are expected to attend the official opening ceremony at the impressive new 20,000 square feet building at Battlefield, adjacent to Shrewsbury Auction Centre.
The new HQ, which was built by S. J. Roberts Construction Limited of Marton, near Welshpool, has two fine art salerooms, dedicated offices, storage space, 110 parking spaces and a café facility provided by Battlefield 1403.
Halls, a multi-disciplined company with a network of 10 offices and 125 employees across Shropshire, Worcestershire and Mid Wales, opened for business in its new headquarters on March 4.
David Giles, a director of Halls who managed the building project, has described the building as “a marvellous development” for Shrewsbury that will take the company into an exciting new era.
The building is a dream come true for fine art director Jeremy Lamond. “It’s something that we have wanted to do for a generation and now the dream is finally realised, “ he said.
“We are confident that it will become an important powerhouse for the fine art department, expanding the business that has been developed at the Welsh Bridge over the past 50 years.
“Our new, bespoke fine art facilities make us one of the best regional salerooms in the country and will allow the fine art department to expand and offer a greater sales programme, with more dedicated specialist auctions, to our ever-widening national and international market.”
Around eight kilometres of electric cabling and 36,000 bricks have gone into the new building, which is ‘A’ rated for energy performance.
