Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth facts for kids
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South face of the Pavilion Theatre
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| Address | Westover Road Bournemouth BH1 2BU England |
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| Coordinates | 50°43′04″N 1°52′29″W / 50.71778°N 1.87472°W |
| Owner | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council |
| Operator | BH Live |
| Capacity | 1,448 (Theatre) 900 (Ballroom) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 19 March 1929 |
| Renovated | 1934, 1975, 2007 |
| Construction cost | £250,000 (£10.2 million in 2021 prices ) |
| Architect | Home and Knight |
| Website | |
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Listed Building – Grade II
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| Official name: The Pavilion Theatre and surrounding raised terrace and steps | |
| Designated: | 19 January 1998 |
| Reference #: | 1376801 |
The Pavilion Theatre and Ballroom is a famous concert hall and theatre in Bournemouth, a coastal town in England. It first opened its doors in 1929 and has been a popular spot for entertainment ever since. The building has been updated several times over the years to keep it modern.
Contents
History of the Pavilion
The story of the Pavilion Theatre begins long before it was built. It sits in an area near the beautiful Bournemouth Gardens.
Early Plans and Delays
Back in the 1880s, people in Bournemouth started talking about building a special place for entertainment. The town council was given £20,000 to build a pavilion for the town's orchestra.
However, not everyone agreed with the plans. Some local residents were worried because the venue would sell alcohol, and they felt this was a bad idea. These disagreements, along with World War I, delayed the project for many years.
Building a Grand Theatre
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By the 1920s, the town's orchestra needed a new home. Their old venue, the Bournemouth Winter Gardens, was no longer big enough. So, in 1923, a competition was held to find the best design for a new concert hall.
The winning architects were G. Wyville Home and Shirley Knight. Construction started in 1925. The grand opening was on 19 March 1929, and the Duke of Gloucester attended the ceremony. The building cost £250,000, which was a very large amount of money at the time.
Changes and Updates
A few years after it opened, the Pavilion was changed so it could host plays and musicals, not just concerts. It reopened in 1934 with a performance of the show The White Horse Inn.
More changes were made in the 1950s, when two new floors were added to the sides of the main entrance. In 1975, a new bar area was built, but many people didn't like how it looked. This part of the building was removed in 2007 during a major £12 million project to restore the theatre.
The Pavilion Today
The Pavilion Theatre is a very important building. On 19 January 1998, it became a Grade II listed building. This means it is officially recognized as a building of special historical and architectural interest, and it is protected by law.
Today, the theatre is owned by the local government, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, and is managed by a company called BH Live. It works together with another major venue in the town, the Bournemouth International Centre.
In 2019, the actor and comedian Lenny Henry pointed out that an old photograph in a dressing room was offensive. The photo showed performers wearing "blackface," an outdated and racist type of stage makeup. A representative for the Pavilion apologised for the photo.
