Draft:Glastonbury Assembly Rooms

The Glastonbury Assembly Rooms is a small but busy venue for music and the arts in the town of Glastonbury in Somerset, United Kingdom.

The Assembly Rooms was built in 1864 near the Glastonbury Abbey Wall.

The Glastonbury Assembly Rooms Company Ltd was registered in April of 1864. Amopng the 49 founders were John Austin and Walter Swayne (who was six times Mayor of Glastonbury). In 1871, 1877, 1883, 1887, 1891, and 1895. (reference: https://glastonbury.gov.uk/council/civic-history/past-mayors/)

The main hall is 53 feet long and 32 feet 10 inches wide. There are other rooms adjoining. (reference: The Glastonbury Assembly Rooms website)

The Glastonbury Assembly Rooms website tells us: "The Assembly Rooms became a fully-fledged Community Centre," and lists music hall, cabaret, theatre, dances, meeting place, social, literary, artistic and political as the sort of activities which went on in the early days.

The Assembly Rooms was the centre of the original Glastonbury Musical Festival which ran from 1914 to 1925 and was a forerunner of the present day Glastonbury Festival.


 * 26 August – Rutland Boughton's "fairy opera" The Immortal Hour is premièred at Glastonbury Assembly Rooms as part of the inaugural Glastonbury Festival, co-founded by the socialist composer. On August 5, the first concert concluded with the choral song "The Last Post" by Charles Villiers Stanford in lieu of the Grail Dance from Parsifal "owing to the outbreak of war."

In World War Two The building was a social club for American GI’s. (Reference: The Glastonbury Assembly Rooms website)

1945 After the war, Morlands bought the biulding and used it as a sheepskin warehouse. (Reference: The Glastonbury Assembly Rooms website)

In the 1970’s the building was purchased by Somerset County Council and was going to be demolished but in 1973 a group of local people generated interest in restoring it for use by the community. (Reference: The Glastonbury Assembly Rooms website)

In 1991 "The Assembly Rooms of Glastonbury Limited" was formed. (Reference: The Glastonbury Assembly Rooms website)

2012-Present The Rooms obtained funding from the Arts Council in 2012 to enable the purchase of a new stage. The venue has become a stage for the annual competition for the Bardic Chair of Ynis Witrin. The Glastonbury Players continue to stage theatrical performances and most recently the Assembly Rooms has become home to AvalonVox Poetry Slam and Vesica Production events. (Reference: The Glastonbury Assembly Rooms website)

Artists who have appeared at Glastonbury Assembly Rooms include Gong, Robin Williamson, Martha Tilston, Baka Beyond, Stevie P, Ange Hardy,Zorch, etc.

Notable Links

 * Glastonbury Assembly Rooms Website


 * Charity Commission UK Government registration


 * UK Government registration at Companies House


 * Special Event Venue listing on CVENT


 * Glastonbury Assembly Rooms history information from Unique Publications