Fairhurst Ward Abbotts site foreman Tony Loades was again on hand to field the many questions from the schoolchildren

THE Guildhall Trust was delighted to welcome back pupils from Finchingfield Primary School on a return site visit on Friday.

Last time they visited, in March 2012, the building was completely stripped with its full frame exposed. Now the roof was back on, walls repaired and the majority of the plaster work complete. The children got hands on the some of the various materials used.

Project team member Jeremy Toynbee was delighted with the visit. He said: “I was stopped in the supermarket a week or so back by one lad who asked when they could come again which prompted the visit. The excitement and interest they showed on the day was infections.”

The historically-significant, grade I listed building is undergoing a £1.8 million repair and refurbishment programme to bring it back into community use. Once complete, the Guildhall will boast a larger library, a museum chronicling the varied past of the building, a shop, reception hall, kitchen and a function room.