The Stage

New entries on Theatre Building at Risk list

Published Tuesday 15 July 2008 at 15:55 by Alistair Smith

Brighton’s Gardner Arts Centre and the Farnham Redgrave Theatre have joined venues such as Wilton’s Music Hall on the list of England’s most endangered theatre buildings.

Conservation body the Theatres Trust has published its annual Theatre Buildings at Risk Register, which includes 34 venues that are currently under threat.

The 2008 top ten includes three new entries - the Gardner, the Redgrave and the Bradford Odeon, a large cine-variety theatre.

These replace three venues from last year’s register, which have been ‘saved’ - the Lonsdale Cinema, the Theatre Royal Hyde, whose new owner is looking to carry out repairs, and the Doncaster Grand, which is in the process of being sold to a local support group.

Theatres Trust director Mhora Samuel explained that the register is released to “supplement” English Heritage’s Heritage at Risk survey, which also highlights a number of theatre buildings that face an insecure future.

Unlike EH’s register, though, the trust’s list includes all theatre buildings at risk, regardless of whether they have listed status or not.

According to the trust, the Grade II* Gardner Arts Centre has joined the list because “the theatre has been vacant since May 2007 and is unable to be used for any purpose because of health and safety issues”, while the Redgrave, which is partially listed as Grade II and has been closed for 10 years, is under threat because “no money has been spent on maintaining the building, which is slowly deteriorating.”

Meanwhile, thirties variety venue the Odeon in Bradford is earmarked for redevelopment, with the trust warning that “if demolition were granted, Bradford would lose its only ‘semi-atmospheric’ style super cinema”.

The Derby Hippodrome, which earlier this year was partially demolished while its owner undertook important repair work, remains at risk.

Theatres Trust’s top historic theatre buildings at risk (*On the English Heritage Buildings at Risk Register)

• Wilton’s Music Hall, London*
• Swindon Mechanics’ Institute*
• Plymouth Palace Theatre*
• Derby Hippodrome
• Burnley Empire
• Hulme Hippodrome
• Hulme Playhouse
• Globe, Stockton-on-Tees
• Redgrave Theatre, Farnham
• Gardner Arts Centre, Brighton
• Odeon, Bradford