AN historic hall, steeped in tradition, was the setting for a special inaugural fund-raiser today (Saturday).

Thousands of old books and records went on sale in Lowestoft to help safeguard a Grade II listed hall in the town, which is on an 'at risk' list compiled by the East Suffolk Building Preservation Trust.

The sale and auction at the Crown Street Hall was the first fund-raising event organised as part of a campaign to save and restore the 200-year-old building - one of the country's first purpose-built Fisher Theatres.

The Crown Street Hall campaign committee linked up with Sunrise Books, Panda Books and Blue Vinyl, to organise the event, which saw thousands of paperback and hardback books and records on sale in an historic part of Lowestoft.

Among them were some signed first editions - with a signed copy of Atonement by Ian McEwan the focus of a bidding war, with the winning bid being �75.

John Ellerby, of the campaign committee, welcomed a good turn-out at 10.30am this morning - and such was the early clamour to view the items on sale that many people were waiting much earlier to catch a bargain.

At the official opening, Mr Ellerby said: 'We are here today to raise monies for Crown Street Hall - the more you buy the better we do. Please buy as much as you can!'

With thousands of used books and hundreds of records at low prices, along with special auctions of first editions, signed first editions and 'pot luck' boxes of books, items were auctioned off, on the hour, every hour from 11am to 4.30pm.

The campaign group was launched earlier this year in an effort to raise funds to transform the hall, which requires an estimated �300,000 worth of repairs and modernisation work.

After opening as a theatre in 1812, the building has hosted a variety of groups and activities over the years – serving as the town's assembly rooms, a mission hall, an early form of a community centre, local government offices, a craft centre for Lowestoft College, and more recently the home of Waveney Folk Club.

Speaking after the sale, Mr Ellerby added: 'It has gone very well today and has been a real success. We have had a good turn-out and I am very pleased - all the volunteers have worked very hard and the early estimates of what we have raised makes it all worthwhile.'

And locals are being encouraged to turn out once more tomorrow (Sunday) as the hall will be open from 11am to 3pm with a new stock of books and records all up for sale.