Marine

The history of the building is fascinating, and each era is reflected in the architecture. The area was first known as Gun Cliff, since the town cannon were kept there, and the seaward side of the theatre still retains traces of its use in the early 1800s for gunnery training for soldiers. In 1805, the foundations of the theatre were laid by the opening of the luxurious Davie’s Baths; Jefferd took over the baths in 1829, and improved the building further. The original baths were filled with concrete and the building converted to a drill hall in the early twentieth century, later to a function room and dance hall. In the 1920s it became a cinema, converting to theatre use in the 1930s. During the war, it was used as a NAAFI canteen as well as for entertainments for the troops.

Today, the theatre is approached through what could have been the coach entrance to an old house, bearing a large notice THEATRE. At the end of a small courtyard, the façade is that of a small 1930s cinema, white rendered brick with the merest suggestion of Art Deco. An iron staircase leads up to offices and the bar area, which is housed in the old balcony. The left wall of the theatre seems to be hewn from the cliff. The body is that of a Victorian hall, built from the former bath house. The rear has a makeshift air, with prefabricated-style dressing room area. The auditorium roof has wooden trusses, and the stage is slightly raked. The proscenium has the minimal rounded form of a 1930s cinema.

In 1994 Wessex Water improved the area immediately below the theatre entrance by building a pumping station, designed like an old fort. Below the theatre are vaults, which could be converted to restaurant and bar areas, allowing the theatre balcony to return to original use, should funds become available.