Wellesley Theatre

The Wellesley was designed by the Bournemouth-based architect E De Wilde Holding, together with the Devonia in Honiton and the Cerdic in Chard. One set of plans was used for the three buildings, with minor modifications to accommodate each site plan. The Wellesley is the only survivor in use. In 1950 dressing rooms and a scenery store were added at the rear and to the side of the building for use by the local operatic society.

The facade is brick, with a stone-faced panel above the canopy containing the long windows typical of 1930s cinema design. Steps lead up to the double entrance doors, and in to the Art Deco foyer with its paybox. The auditorium is typical of (and possibly the best by) De Wilde Holding, designed for the best acoustic properties and to heat economically in winter. Seating is in stalls and a single balcony. The banded ceiling is rounded and pitches sharply down to the proscenium, to which the walls all taper. Lit with cove lighting, the moderne design is continued in the auditorium with a banded plaster dado and clean-line proscenium, prettily set in an apron stage.

The venue is now used for cinema but hosts regular comedy nights and enjoys the option of dual use for local societies.