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Former wedding venue Kings Hall in London Road, Dover, goes on the market

14:00, 19 August 2023

Pictures have emerged of the crumbling inside of a Grade II-listed former music hall – which is now on sale for less than £300,000.

Once a popular venue which hosted weddings and parties, the Kings Hall in Dover now has a hole in the ceiling, smashed window panels and peeling paint.

Kings Hall in London Road, Dover, is Grade II-listed
Kings Hall in London Road, Dover, is Grade II-listed

The once glamorous building was last used in 2015 – when it lost its licence following a spate of anti-social behaviour – and has fallen into a state of disrepair since.

Pictures from inside show a small stage and ground-floor auditorium, with stacked chairs and tables scattered throughout.

There is a bar area to the back of the venue along with a cellar and store room, where there are holes in some of the ceilings and walls.

Waste bags are also pictured in the store room, near the toilets.

The London Road venue was built around 1829 and was originally a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel.

There are large holes in part of the ceiling in the store room. Picture: Miles and Barr estate agents
There are large holes in part of the ceiling in the store room. Picture: Miles and Barr estate agents
Stacks of chairs remain inside the derelict building. Picture: Miles and Barr estate agents
Stacks of chairs remain inside the derelict building. Picture: Miles and Barr estate agents

It later became the headquarters for the Sea Cadets, before being turned into venue for parties.

It was last renovated in 1997 by its then owner Brian Ward.

It lost its premises licence after complaints over noise and anti-social behaviour in 2015.

At the meeting to discuss the licence, members of the panel and the public heard from Environmental Health officers who applied for a court order to remove amplifiers and sound equipment.

They also heard from the police who showed videos of groups coming out of the hall at 1.30am fighting, and blocking nearby roads.

The second floor of the venue. Picture: Miles and Barr estate agents
The second floor of the venue. Picture: Miles and Barr estate agents
The bar area is at the back of the building. Picture: Miles and Barr estate agents
The bar area is at the back of the building. Picture: Miles and Barr estate agents

Speaking in 2015, Mr Ward, who had leased the property to two businessmen, said: “My main aim now is to sell and get out. I don’t like the environment anymore.

“I closed the building five weeks ago, before all that, because I couldn’t cope with the animosity and aggro.

“It’s a beautiful Georgian building, and there it stands idle. That’s the biggest tear jerker for me.”

The upstairs balcony can be reached by a set of stairs at the entrance of Kings Hall on both sides, but images of each stairway show they are covered in cobwebs after being out of use for eight years.

The gallery consists of red carpets and red-striped seating around the circumference of the auditorium.

The site is on the market for £295,000. Picture: Miles and Barr estate agents
The site is on the market for £295,000. Picture: Miles and Barr estate agents
The building, as seen from behind, is surrounded by overgrown weeds
The building, as seen from behind, is surrounded by overgrown weeds

There is also a small piece of land to the front and right-hand side of the building, suitable for parking for at least five vehicles.

The exterior of the Georgian building, which is yellow, white and green, also has paint stripping and weeds growing.

There are also holes in the windows to the front of the property above a sign reading “trespassers will be prosecuted”.

The site, which has a new owner, is on the market for £295,000 with Miles and Barr.

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