Theatre Royal

An excellent example of a small ciné-variety theatre which has survived in remarkably complete condition. In 1850, the Market Hotel was built in Jewry Street, to serve the adjacent market and corn exchange. The hotel closed and was acquired in 1913 by John and James Simpkins, who also ran the Palace Theatre. An auditorium and stage were constructed in the yard behind the hotel, retaining the two main wings of the hotel in Tower Street and Jewry Street, of which the main elevations survive today in altered condition. The theatre opened as a ciné-variety in 1914, and in 1916 had become a ‘Revue Theatre’. In 1922, live shows ended and life as a cinema began. Sound was installed in 1928. The auditorium was designed by F G M Chancellor with a typical segmental barrel-vault ceiling over the full width, and a slightly-curved balcony. In this case however, something rather more positive than usual was retained of the earlier theatre/music hall tradition, in that the balcony had side arms which become bow-fronted boxes at each end, flanking the proscenium. Florid Baroque plasterwork on balcony and box fronts. Typically shallow stage and fly tower. The stuccoed façade incorporates much earlier work and ties in well with the adjoining terrace. The first floor has four wide bays defined by coupled Ionic pilasters. Each bay has a single rectangular window with an ornamented surround and three festoons above. Straight bracketed cornice and a low attic storey above the centre. The Rank Organisation bought the theatre in 1939. In 1974, it was closed, and planning permission sought to demolish the theatre and build a supermarket. This was rejected. The Winchester Theatre Fund was formed to acquire the building, which they did in 1977. In 1985 extensive works were carried out, reducing capacity to 400 by the loss of slip seats and the formation of a new orchestra pit treated with the restoration or replication plaster ornament. A new safety curtain was installed. The most radical and far-reaching improvements to what is now a dedicated theatre were undertaken in 2001. The acquisition of two adjacent Listed Georgian terraced buildings offered the opportunity for comprehensive renovation and extension of the existing building. A new entrance foyer, a bar foyer in a covered courtyard, improved stage and backstage facilities were built. A spacious staircase now leads to the upper foyer and a hospitality room created. The record of change has been made readable by retaining in the interior some formerly external faces (e.g. rubble-faced walls) and traces of old decorations which might have been concealed. The improvements in theatre use terms have been considerable but cine-enthusiasts have regretted the loss of the original cinema foyer and box office and the projection facilities. Externally the stucco facades of the old frontage buildings, although altered, have been sensitively treated, retaining the bracketed cornice and established pilasters and window openings.