THE fairly innocuous looking Georgian house known as No 6 Finkin Street or Granta Hall is a hidden gem.
Usually in the shade of the narrow street, you could pass the Grade II building occupied by estate and land agents Brown and Co without a second glance.
Yet it is one of Grantham’s hidden gems.
It was built for a mere £1,500 in 1836 by the Grantham Philosophical Institution, an organisation dedicated to encourage interest in science and literature.
At the rear is a 10m diameter octagonal room, once a library containing 1,200 books. A floor has since been installed in the upper part, converting it to a boardroom.
There was also a first-floor lecture room for 150 people and a committee room.
One of two ground floor committee rooms was occupied by the local Clerical Society which contained a well-stocked theological library.
The Philosophical Institution was forced to sell the building in 1859 to pay off its debts.
For many years the building was in mixed use, including a dispensary, where cures were handed out to those paying the penny a week subscription.
From 1925 it was occupied by solicitors R A White & Son while part of it was the Conserv-ative Club in the 1930s.
During the Second World War and for a few years after it was home to the Sky Blue and Khaki Club.
Since then it has had a variety of uses, including a printing works.
It was during that time, in 1970, that the former schoolroom (Brownlow Primary and later Girls’ Central) next door was incorporated into the building.
It was taken over by Brown & Co in June 1995 who restored it to the building we know today.
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