Palace Avenue

Opened in 1889 as a Public Hall & Assembly Rooms, it cost £3000, including the land. The stage had a mahogany and gilt proscenium which came from the Royal Bijou Theatre when that was dismantled; in 1936 a new proscenium was installed, and the former became a false pros. There is no flying height, so cloths are rolled; there is no iron. The hall ceiling is divided by seven trusses. The stage has an unusual get in created by taking out a window and making it into a door. There are two dressing rooms. The basement space below the main hall was used mainly for storage, although it was also used for roller skating, and for gun training by the local Naval Reserve Force, evidence of which remains in the form of a mounting for an AA gun. During the Second World War, it was used as a Garrison Theatre, when improvements were made. In recent times the theatre use has diminished, except for amateur theatricals, and community activities.