| Brighton Hippodrome | |
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The façade of the Brighton Hippodrome from the northwest
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| Location: | 52–58 Middle Street, Brighton, Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates: | |
| Built: | 1897 |
| Rebuilt: | 1901; 1939 |
| Architect: | Frank Matcham (1901) |
| Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name: Mecca Bingo (Former Hippodrome), 52–58 Middle Street | |
| Designated: | 20 December 1985 |
| Reference #: | 1381793 |
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Location within central Brighton
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The former Brighton Hippodrome is an entertainment venue in the ancient centre of Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. It has been empty and out of use since 2007, when its use as a bingo hall ceased, but since its construction in 1897 it has hosted an ice rink, circus acts, variety theatre, vaudeville shows and bands such as the Beatles and Rolling Stones. The flamboyantly decorated interior, with a large auditorium and Rococo embellishments, survives despite the frequent alterations; but in July 2010 its 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. English Heritage has listed the building at Grade II* for its architectural and historical importance.
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By the end of the 19th century, Brighton had been a fashionable and thriving seaside resort, 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.[1][2][3]
Land on the east side of the street was chosen as the site of Brighton Ice Rink in 1897. An unknown architect designed the building, which had a long stuccoed façade with short towers at each end.[4] The venture was unsuccessful, as ice-skating did not gain popularity; and in 1900, the venue was sold for conversion into a theatre. Frank Matcham, a prolific theatre architect, was engaged to enlarge and rebuild the interior.[5] The building was renamed The Hippodrome and reopened in its new form in 1901. The following year, more work was carried out, and on 22 December 1902 the Hippodrome reopened as a variety theatre and circus.[4][6]
Until his death at the venue in 1910,[7] theatre entrepreneur Thomas Barrasford managed the Hippodrome, which quickly became Brighton's most important variety theatre.[6][8] Shows of all types were staged there, and top-name entertainers such as Sarah Bernhardt, Sammy Davis, Jr., Gracie Fields, Harry Houdini, Buster Keaton, Lillie Langtry and Laurel and Hardy appeared.[5][9] Laurence Olivier played the venue early in his stage career—but fell over on his first entrance on his début.[5] One of Charlie Chaplin's first roles was a bit-part in theatre impresario Fred Karno's comedy Saturday to Monday, staged in May 1907;[10] and Vivien Leigh gave an acclaimed performance in George Bernard Shaw's play The Doctor's Dilemma.[8] Local stars also featured: Max Miller, the Brighton-born music hall entertainer and comedian, appeared on many occasions during the mid-20th century;[6] and conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton, whose vaudeville career began in their home town in 1911 at the age of three, topped the bill with their variety show.[11]
The venue's early success led to expansion in 1939: it was extended on the site of two houses on the north side, increasing the capacity of its main auditorium to 1,400.[6][12] Its overall capacity was 3,000, although an attendance of 4,500 was recorded on one occasion.[9] After World War I, though, the popularity of variety theatre waned,[6] 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.[8] The Hippodrome was accordingly adapted to host concerts and other large-scale events: 4,000 people were attracted to concerts by The Beatles (part of their 1964 World Tour) and The Rolling Stones (on their 4th British Tour 1964) in October 1964.[6] This could not stop the decline, though, and in 1965 the theatre was closed and converted into a short-lived television and film studio.[6][8] In 1967, it was bought by the Rank Organisation and turned into a Mecca Bingo hall;[6][8] the conversion work included the insertion of a raised floor above the stage and through the proscenium arch.[4][12]
Repairs were carried out on the coloured glass awnings above the entrance in the early 1990s.[4] The building remained in use as a bingo hall until 2007, but closed in that year and is still empty as of 2012.[9][6] In 2008, property investment firm Cheval Properties bought it and leased it to Academy Music Group (AMG), who planned to work with events company Live Nation to establish a live music venue in it.[6][13] 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 1⁄2 million.[13][14] The Theatres Trust, a registered charity and advisory body on theatre conservation, placed the Hippodrome on its register of "buildings requiring special attention"[13] in 2009; on a list of 82 theatres in Britain, it was placed in the top ten at highest risk.[15]
Under the name Mecca Bingo, 52–58 Middle Street, the building was listed at Grade II* on 20 December 1985;[12] such buildings are defined as being "particularly important ... [and] of more than special interest".[16] 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.[17]
The exterior of the former Hippodrome is in three parts and is stuccoed, but there is apparently brickwork, terracotta and stone underneath. The original (1897) section is symmetrical, but the extension northwards in 1939 took in two houses which make the composition unbalanced.[4][12] The central section has a stepped pediment above a dentil cornice and a rectangular panel with the letters hippodrome projecting. Below this, a three-part awning projects as a lean-to, forming a low roof.[4][12] This obscures the centre bay, which has three arches with entrances below. The middle entrance has a porch flanked by fluted pilasters and topped by an entablature with a pulvinated (convex) frieze. The arch has a decorative archivolt.[12] 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.[12]
A pair of short towers stand alongside the centre bay. They each have a simple straight-headed entrance with pilasters, a cornice and a pediment 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 chamfered arches, ornate mouldings, Ionic columns and a cornice. Above the frieze is a scroll-moulded cartouche which is framed by the upper sections of the columns.[12]
Inside, much of Frank Matcham's original work remains, and the design is considered to be one of his finest[5] and to display "his hallmark decorative richness".[4] A narrow foyer leads to an auditorium shaped like a horseshoe, with seats arranged in a circle around it and in front of the stage. Above this is a proscenium arch featuring elaborate Rococo-style moulded plasterwork showing dolphins and female figures, and with egg-and-dart decoration to the architrave.[4][12] Above the auditorium is an intricately patterned dome,[5] and there are Indo-Saracenic-style onion domes on top of the two-part stage-boxes—evoking the style of the nearby Royal Pavilion.[4][12] The stage and proscenium arch are now partly obscured by the new floor inserted in 1967.[4] More Rococo decoration is found on the panelled segmented ceiling, from which a large lantern also hangs.[12] The newer rooms on the northern side, all decorated in an elaborate Middle Eastern style, include a conservatory and bars.[4]