Brighton Hippodrome is an entertainment venue in
Brighton
Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
, England. It was built in 1897 and closed in 2007.
The Hippodrome has hosted an ice rink, circus acts,
variety theatre
Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a compè ...
,
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
shows and bands such as
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
and
the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
. The flamboyantly decorated interior, with a large auditorium and
Rococo
Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...
embellishments, has survived.
In July 2010, the owner announced that it would cost £9 million to restore the building and convert it into a live music venue, and a
charitable trust expressed concern over its future. Since 2011, several plans have been submitted to convert the building for alternative uses.
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
has
listed the building at Grade II* for its architectural and historical importance.
History
1890s: Construction
By the end of the 19th century, Brighton had been a fashionable and thriving
seaside resort
A seaside resort is a city, resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of an official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requi ...
, which had experienced rapid growth, for more than 100 years. It developed around the medieval fishing village of Brighthelmstone—a grid of streets running inland from the sea, intercut with narrow
twittens. Middle Street, the most important and central of these streets, was built up from the 16th century, and was lined with houses both large and small, inns, the town's oldest school and a
richly decorated synagogue.
Land on the east side of the street was chosen as the site of the Real Ice Skating Rink in 1897. It was designed by the architect Lewis Karslake and had a long
stucco
Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...
ed façade with short towers at each end.
The venture was unsuccessful, as ice skating did not gain popularity.
1900s—1930s: Circus and variety theatre
In 1900, the owners converted the venue into a circus.
Frank Matcham
Francis Matcham (22 November 1854 – 17 May 1920)Mackintosh, Iain"Matcham, Frank" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, accessed 7 July 2019 was an English architect who specialised in the design of theatres and ...
, a prolific theatre architect, was engaged to enlarge and rebuild the interior.
The building was renamed the Hippodrome and reopened in its new form in 1901. The following year the circus failed and the site was auctioned. It was bought by theatre entrepreneur
Thomas Barrasford
Thomas Barrasford (1859–1910) was a 19th-century British entrepreneur and entertainment impresario, who operated and built a number of theatres across Britain, mainly under the Barrasford Halls brand.
Early career
Born in South Shields, Coun ...
who commissioned architect
Bertie Crewe
William Robert 'Bertie' Crewe (1860 – 10 January 1937) was one of the leading English theatre architects in the boom of 1885 to 1915.
Biography
Born in Essex and partly trained by Frank Matcham, Crewe and his contemporaries W.G.R. Sprague an ...
to modify the auditorium, replacing the circus ring with seating, and on 22 December 1902 the Hippodrome reopened as a
variety theatre
Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a compè ...
.
Barrasford died at the venue in February 1910 and the Hippodrome was sold to the Variety Theatres Controlling Company (VTCC). It quickly became Brighton's most important variety theatre.
Shows of all types were staged there, and top-name entertainers such as
Harry Houdini
Erik Weisz (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926), known professionally as Harry Houdini ( ), was a Hungarian-American escapologist, illusionist, and stunt performer noted for his escape acts.
Houdini first attracted notice in vaudeville in ...
,
W C Fields,
Lillie Langtry
Emilie Charlotte, Lady de Bathe (née Le Breton, formerly Langtry; 13 October 1853 – 12 February 1929), known as Lillie (or Lily) Langtry and nicknamed "The Jersey Lily", was a British socialite, stage actress and producer.
Born on the isla ...
,
Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including by Alexandre Dumas fils, ...
,
Bill "Bojangles" Robinson
Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (born Luther Robinson; May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949), was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid black entertainer in the United States during the first half of the 20 ...
,
Gracie Fields
Dame Gracie Fields (born Grace Stansfield; 9 January 189827 September 1979) was a British actress, singer and comedian. A star of cinema and music hall, she was one of the top ten film stars in Britain during the 1930s and was considered the h ...
,
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were a British-American double act, comedy duo during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957) ...
and
Sammy Davis Jr.
Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, actor, comedian, dancer, and musician.
At age two, Davis began his career in Vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio, which t ...
appeared.
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...
made his professional stage début—but fell over on his first entrance.
One of
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...
's first roles was a bit-part in theatre impresario
Fred Karno
Frederick John Westcott (26 March 1865 – 17 September 1941), best known by his stage name Fred Karno, was an English theatre impresario of the British music hall. As a comedian of slapstick he is credited with popularising the custard-pie-in ...
's comedy ''Saturday to Monday'', staged in May 1907;
and
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh ( ; born Vivian Mary Hartley; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. After completing her drama school education, Leigh appeared in small roles in four films in 1935 and progress ...
gave an acclaimed performance in
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...
's play ''
The Doctor's Dilemma'' in January 1942.
Local stars also featured:
Max Miller, the Brighton-born
music hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...
entertainer and comedian, appeared on many occasions between 1928 and 1960;
and the
conjoined twins
Conjoined twins, popularly referred to as Siamese twins, are twins joined '' in utero''. It is a very rare phenomenon, estimated to occur in anywhere between one in 50,000 births to one in 200,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in south ...
Daisy and Violet Hilton, whose
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
career began in their home town in 1911 at the age of three, topped the bill with their variety show.
The venue's early success led to expansion. In 1919 the lower floors of the two houses on the north side,
known as Hippodrome House since Barrasford made his home there in 1902, was converted into a Palm Court for teas and dances. Its maximum capacity may have been up to 3,000 although an attendance of 4,500 was recorded on one occasion.
Further changes of ownership in 1928 and 1932 made the Hippodrome part of the
Moss Empires
Moss Empires was a company formed in Edinburgh in 1899, from the merger of the theatre companies owned by Sir Edward Moss, Richard Thornton and Sir Oswald Stoll. This created the largest chain of variety theatres and music halls in the United ...
circuit.
Postwar: concerts and bingo
After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the popularity of variety theatre waned,
and the new practice of centralised booking of productions by an agency in London meant that the tastes of Brighton audiences were not specifically catered for: the venue typically received shows that had toured around the country and had no local connection.
The Hippodrome accordingly hosted variety shows starring such stars as Petula Clark in 1958 as well as concerts and other large-scale events: concerts by
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
(part of their
1964 World Tour) and
the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
(on their
4th British Tour 1964) in October 1964.
This could not stop the decline, though, and on 22 November 1964 the theatre was closed. Brighton Corporation considered acquisition but the idea lapsed. In 1966 it was converted into a short-lived television and film studio.
In 1967, it was turned into a
Mecca Bingo
Mecca Bingo (formerly called Top Rank) is a British operator of bingo clubs, with over 70 locations throughout the country. Mecca Bingo is owned by the Rank Group, which operates bingos, casinos and online gambling in Belgium, Spain and Britain. ...
hall;
the conversion work included the insertion of a raised floor above the stage and through the
proscenium
A proscenium (, ) is the virtual vertical plane of space in a theatre, usually surrounded on the top and sides by a physical proscenium arch (whether or not truly "arched") and on the bottom by the stage floor itself, which serves as the frame ...
arch.
Mecca was bought by the
Rank Organisation
The Rank Organisation (founded as the J. Arthur Rank Organisation) is a British entertainment conglomerate founded in 1937 by industrialist J. Arthur Rank. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the Uni ...
in 1990.
2006—present: Closure and redevelopment proposals
Repairs were carried out on the coloured glass awnings above the entrance in the early 1990s.
The building closed as a bingo hall in August 2006 and is still empty as of .
In 2003, the property investment firm London Merchant Securities (later called Cheval Properties) bought it and leased it to
Academy Music Group
Academy Music Group (AMG) is a leading owner-operator of music venues in the United Kingdom. They operate a number of medium-sized venues, the majority of which (until January 2009) took the name Carling Academy after their sponsor Carling. So ...
(AMG), who planned to work with events company
Live Nation
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American multinational Entertainment industry, entertainment company that was founded in 2010 following the Mergers and acquisitions, merger of Live Nation (events promoter), Live Nation and Ticketmaster. It ...
to establish a live music venue in it.
In July 2010, AMG announced that this would probably cost at least £9 million: suitable soundproofing in the narrow, partly residential street would cost about £3 million, and the deteriorating structural condition meant repair work would be difficult and expensive. Initial analysis work cost £ million.
The
Theatres Trust
The Theatres Trust is the National Advisory Public Body for Theatres in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1976 by an Act of Parliament to "promote the better protection of theatres for the benefit of the nation". The Trust has played a lead ...
, the statutory advisory body on theatre conservation, placed the Hippodrome on its register of "buildings requiring special attention"
in 2009; on a list of 82 theatres in Britain, it was placed in the top ten at highest risk.
It was number one on the list in 2013 and the following three years.
Brighton and Hove City Council
Brighton and Hove City Council is the local authority for Brighton and Hove, a local government district with city status in the ceremonial county of East Sussex, England. The council is a unitary authority, being a district council which also per ...
stated in October 2011 that AMG had met officers from the licensing and planning departments in an attempt to move the situation forward.
Four months later, Live Nation announced its intention to seek
planning permission
Planning permission or building permit refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions.
House building permits, for example, are subject to buil ...
to convert the building into "one of the city’s main live music venues", at an estimated cost of £9 million. By this time the company had spent at least £100,000 on structural and other surveys.
Nothing came of these plans, though, and in February 2013 another group—Alaska Development Consultants—unveiled an £18 million plan to turn the Hippodrome into an eight-screen cinema. Five new shops and a public square would be part of the plans, and the building would be connected to an adjacent shopping arcade. Local firm Russ Drage Architects drew up the plans.
A local and national campaign, preferring the building to be used for live theatre or similar events, protested against the plans; but by January 2014 Alaska Development Consultants' proposals had evolved into a £35 million scheme including a restaurant on a removable floor above the auditorium.
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
announced their support for these plans in April 2014,
and in November 2014 the city council's planning department gave final approval.
The site, together with the contiguous Dukes Lane shopping street, was immediately put on the market. In April 2015, AMG acquired the freehold and offered campaigners a six-month moratorium to develop plans for restoration. Work to achieve restoration continues.
Under the name ''Mecca Bingo, 52–58 Middle Street'', the building was
listed at Grade II* on 20 December 1985;
such buildings are defined as being "particularly important ...
ndof more than special interest".
As of February 2001, it was one of
70 Grade II*-listed buildings and structures, and 1,218 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of
Brighton and Hove
Brighton and Hove ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority area, ceremonially in East Sussex, England. There are multiple villages alongside the seaside resorts of Brighton and Hove in the district. It is administe ...
.
Architecture
The exterior of the former Hippodrome is in three parts and is
stucco
Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...
ed, but there is apparently brickwork,
terracotta
Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...
and stone underneath. The original (1897) section is symmetrical, but the extension northwards in 1939 took in two houses which make the composition unbalanced.
The central section has a stepped
pediment
Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...
above a
dentil
A dentil (from Lat. ''dens'', a tooth) is a small block used as a repeating ornament in the bedmould of a cornice. Dentils are found in ancient Greek and Roman architecture, and also in later styles such as Neoclassical, Federal, Georgian Rev ...
cornice and a rectangular panel with the letters projecting. Below this, a three-part awning projects as a
lean-to
A lean-to is a type of simple structure originally added to an existing building with the rafters "leaning" against another wall. Free-standing structures open on one or more sides (colloquially referred to as lean-tos in spite of being unattac ...
, forming a low roof.
This obscures the centre
bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...
, which has three arches with entrances below. The middle entrance has a porch flanked by
fluted
Fluting may refer to:
*Fluting (architecture)
*Fluting (firearms)
*Fluting (geology)
* Fluting (glacial)
*Fluting (paper)
*Playing a flute (musical instrument)
Arts, entertainment, and media
*Fluting on the Hump
''Fluting on the Hump'' is the ...
pilaster
In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...
s and topped by an
entablature
An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...
with a pulvinated (convex)
frieze
In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...
. The arch has a decorative
archivolt
An archivolt (or voussure) is an ornamental Molding (decorative), moulding or band following the curve on the underside of an arch.
It is composed of bands of ornamental mouldings (or other architectural elements) surrounding an arched opening, ...
.
Between the porch and the two plain outer entrances in the centre bay are single straight-headed windows divided into two lights by a single
mullion
A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid sup ...
.
A pair of short towers stand alongside the centre bay. They each have a simple straight-headed entrance with pilasters, a
cornice
In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...
and a
pediment
Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...
at ground-floor level, and two more windows and a door above. A wide dentil cornice runs around each tower, and on the inside an extra section projects inwards and upwards beyond the cornice line. Elaborate single-storey entrance bays flank the towers, with
chamfer
A chamfer ( ) is a transitional edge between two faces of an object. Sometimes defined as a form of bevel, it is often created at a 45° angle between two adjoining right-angled faces.
Chamfers are frequently used in machining, carpentry, fur ...
ed arches, ornate
mouldings,
Ionic columns
The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite ...
and a
cornice
In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...
. Above the frieze is a scroll-moulded
cartouche
upalt=A stone face carved with coloured hieroglyphics. Two cartouches - ovoid shapes with hieroglyphics inside - are visible at the bottom., Birth and throne cartouches of Pharaoh KV17.html" ;"title="Seti I, from KV17">Seti I, from KV17 at the ...
which is framed by the upper sections of the columns.
Inside, much of Frank Matcham's original work remains, and the design is considered to be one of his finest
and to display "his hallmark decorative richness".
A narrow foyer leads to an
auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoriums can be found in entertainment venues, community halls, and t ...
shaped like a horseshoe, with seats arranged in a circle around it and in front of the stage. Above this is a
proscenium
A proscenium (, ) is the virtual vertical plane of space in a theatre, usually surrounded on the top and sides by a physical proscenium arch (whether or not truly "arched") and on the bottom by the stage floor itself, which serves as the frame ...
arch featuring elaborate
Rococo
Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...
-style moulded plasterwork showing dolphins and female figures, and with
egg-and-dart
Egg-and-dart, also known as egg-and-tongue, egg-and-anchor, or egg-and-star, is an Ornament (architecture), ornamental device adorning the fundamental quarter-round, convex ovolo profile of molding (decorative), moulding, consisting of alternating ...
decoration to the
architrave
In classical architecture, an architrave (; , also called an epistyle; ) is the lintel or beam, typically made of wood or stone, that rests on the capitals of columns.
The term can also apply to all sides, including the vertical members, ...
.
Above the auditorium is an intricately patterned dome,
and there are
Indo-Saracenic-style onion dome
An onion dome is a dome whose shape resembles an onion. Such domes are often larger in diameter than the tholobate (drum) upon which they sit, and their height usually exceeds their width. They taper smoothly upwards to a point.
It is a typical ...
s on top of the two-part stage-boxes—evoking the style of the nearby
Royal Pavilion
The Royal Pavilion (also known as the Brighton Pavilion) and surrounding gardens is a Grade I listed former royal residence located in Brighton, England. Beginning in 1787, it was built in three stages as a seaside retreat for George, Prince o ...
.
The stage and proscenium arch are now partly obscured by the new floor inserted in 1967.
More Rococo decoration is found on the panelled segmented ceiling, from which a large lantern also hangs.
The newer rooms on the northern side, all decorated in an elaborate Middle Eastern style, include a conservatory and bars.
See also
*
Grade II* listed buildings in Brighton and Hove
There are 72 Grade II* listed buildings in the city of Brighton and Hove, England. The city, on the English Channel coast approximately south of London, was formed as a unitary authority in 1997 by the merger of the neighbouring towns of Br ...
Notes
External links
Brighton Hippodrome Community Interest Company
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{Authority control
1897 establishments in England
Theatres completed in 1897
Former theatres in England
Grade II* listed buildings in Brighton and Hove
Theatres in Brighton and Hove
2007 disestablishments in England