Music Hall

A remarkable building with a long and complex history. It was originally the Chapel of St Nicholas, built in 1280 on Cathedral land. After various uses, including that of a wool hall, it was converted into the Theatre Royal in 1777. A second conversion in 1855 by James Harrison was as a concert room and it is as this that it is best remembered, being still referred to as the Music Hall (in this context, a hall for music, rather than variety). Another internal reconstruction in 1921 saw modernisation for cinema.

The visible mediaeval fabric (probably of 1488) is on the south side. The base of the building is of local red stone, coarsely hewn and weathered. Above, the later additions including the stage house, rise in red brick with many variations in the brickwork, blocked-in windows and doors etc, reflecting changing uses over the centuries. The entrance on St Werburgh Street is advanced at ground floor level, with steps up to the entrance. The mid-nineteenth century Gothic front is by James Harrison. The rear of the property on Northgate Street is of plain modern stone in run-of-the-mill post-modern style, dating from 1993. The get-in door and some exits have been replaced within the last two or three decades.

The interior has been radically altered, suspended ceilings and new wall linings obscuring all the older fabric; no evidence of theatre fittings remain. No description of the theatre interior has been found, but it is known that, as a music hall, there was a single balcony, approached from the narrow foyer by a single stairway.

The building was converted to retail use from about the time of its closure as a cinema in 1961.