Newbridge Memorial Hall

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Newbridge is a village in the South Wales Valleys which like most of its neighbours was built to house the burgeoning 19th century mining industry. The Miners Welfare Institute in Newbridge was paid for by weekly penny subscriptions from miners and dedicated to local heroes from World War One. By 2000 the derelict building was earmarked for a car park, but a local campaign saved it and restored the fabulous art deco cinema auditorium and ballroom inside.

 

Elbow was brought on board shortly before the restoration to design a visitor experience which would explain the building’s significance and outline its place in the Valley’s social history. Elbow worked closely with local people to develop a scheme which is sensitive to the needs of a highly diverse audience, catering for school parties, pensioners outings and everyone in between. The Experience includes a half hour docudrama, soundscapes, and a multi-projector interactive game to tell the story of this close-knit community’s highs and lows over the past century.