Southall’s Manor House has officially reopened today following a cutting ribbon ceremony attended by Ealing Council leader councillor Peter Mason and local MP Virendra Sharma.
The reopening is happening while a consultation with the public is being undertaken by Ealing Council and Meanwhile Space who are managing the building. Among the ideas is for Manor House becoming a hub for local businesses, artistic creatives, the community and entrepreneurs seeking space to work from.
In a tweet, Councillor Peter Mason tweeted: “A fantastic moment this morning reopening Southall Manor House after such a long time of it being out of use.”
In response to what some Southall residents thought was a lack of local business people being there, @VisitSouthall tweeted that the event could have been better promoted.
inclusive or exclusive?
A lot more people would have attended
if anybody at @ealingCouncil had bothered to let anyone know,
as usual"I never knew about this event. NO ONE in the business community did apart from the usual suspects"
Another MISSED opportunity for locals
— VisitSouthall (@VisitSouthall) July 12, 2022
The reopening, comes less than a week when the Grade II* Listed Tudor building hosted the first ever Southall Business Expo. The expo, organised by Carlene Bender of Contact Us Ealing and supported by Ealing Council, was packed with networking opportunities and guidance on how to start a business and grow a business. Advice was on offer from a wide range of delegates covering all aspects of business operations from marketing through to legal and financial as well as hiring and training.
“Our aim is to create a space that brings benefit to the people of Southall and is able to sustain itself financially and so build a long-term future,” Meanwhile Space says.