Welcome To Wells Maltings
North Norfolk’s Cultural Landmark
We’re looking forward to welcoming you and your friends, family and colleagues to this brand new £5m arts, heritage and community complex for a series of exciting events. Look out for music, film, drama, dance, comedy, art, poetry, heritage, talks, family and community activities and much more!
The new Wells Maltings development comprises the restoration and repair of the Grade II-listed former Maltings building, providing a new heritage and learning centre, improved community facilities, state-of-the-art theatre and cinema, attractive new café and bar, Visitor Information Centre and Box Office and a gift shop. After many years of fundraising, planning, preparations, discussions, building and fitting out, Wells Maltings has finally opened its doors and the site has been transformed into a sustainable, exciting year-round destination for locals and visitors alike.
Open from 10am daily, Wells Maltings offers everything from a great cup of coffee and slice of home-made cake to some attractive, one-off souvenirs. The Visitor Information Centre & Box Office is open every day too and the friendly staff will be very happy to help you with your enquiries, whether about events and activities within the new Wells Maltings building itself, or about local accommodation, restaurants, other places of interest and excursions.
All of the events at Wells Maltings are also listed in the ‘What’s On’ section of this website and can also be booked online, so that you can buy tickets at any time. Meanwhile, our Season Brochure, which can be viewed and downloaded online, lists all of the forthcoming events, so that you can see what’s on offer and decide what takes your fancy.
The contemporary café also serves light lunches and afternoon tea, while the bar is the perfect place to read the papers or catch up with friends while enjoying a pint of local ale or cider or a refreshing glass of wine. And if you’re at Wells Maltings for a show, concert, talk or other performance, don’t forget to pop in for a glass or two before or afterwards and to order your interval drinks; drinks can be taken into the auditorium, so there’s no rush!
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Many of you will have seen the modern new theatre and cinema by now, which seats over 130 guests. Fitted with the latest equipment, this versatile space has already been home to concerts, comedy, lectures, magic shows and more and there’s a wealth of new work on its way. And if you’re keen on coming to performances, don’t forget to sign up to our email newsletter so that we can let you know about future events; you can sign up on the ‘Support Us’ section of this website and it’s quick and easy to do.
The seats in the main auditorium are fully retractable and so this flexible room can also be used for other events, such as antiques and craft fairs. If you have an event in mind and would like to know more about hiring one of the community spaces at Wells Maltings, simply get in touch and we will be happy to help you.
In addition to a full film programme and Screen-next-the-Sea’s regular film screenings (every other Monday), there’s also a full programme of drama, live comedy, lectures and more. This is tailor-made to the season and we’re already busy planning next year’s programme, so make sure you check back regularly!
Progress by Mary Crofts. Picture by Justine Carter.
And if you’d like to become a Wells Maltings Friend, that would be a great help. Wells Maltings is a non-profit organisation, so any money made goes right back into the building and into providing more activities for locals, visitors and the wider Norfolk community.
Upstairs in the fabulous modern new extension, you’ll find a light and airy gallery – The Handa Gallery – along with The Clore Community Studio, a room which does what it says on the tin ie. provides classes and other activities for people living and working in the area. Activities so far include yoga and Pilates and a mums and babies/toddlers group and plenty more activities are planned. Again, if there’s something that you organise or would like to see, please just let us know – Wells Maltings is your space!
Wells Maltings received a significant amount of money from the Heritage Lottery Fund (find out more on the ‘Support Us’ page) and we are very grateful for this. The funds provided helped us to build the fascinating Wells Heritage Centre which offers an insight into the past of Wells-next-the-Sea and its many interesting historical characters.
So whether you’re simply looking for somewhere to enjoy a cup of tea, need some advice on activities in the area, or want to come along to a high quality show, then please come on in. We look forward to welcoming you to Wells Maltings very soon!
With grateful thanks to Matthew Usher and Sarah Toon Photography, www.sarahtoonphotography.com