Brighton Hippodrome
Encyclopedia
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.
, 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 twitten
s. 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 Brighton Ice Rink in 1897. An unknown architect designed the building, which had a long stucco
ed façade with short towers at each end. 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. 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.
Until his death at the venue in 1910, theatre entrepreneur Thomas Barrasford managed the Hippodrome, which quickly became Brighton's most important variety theatre. 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. Laurence Olivier
played the venue early in his stage career—but fell over on his first entrance on his début. 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; and Vivien Leigh
gave an acclaimed performance in George Bernard Shaw
's play The Doctor's Dilemma. Local stars also featured: Max Miller, the Brighton-born music hall
entertainer and comedian, appeared on many occasions during the mid-20th century; 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.
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. Its overall capacity was 3,000, although an attendance of 4,500 was recorded on one occasion. After World War I, though, 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 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. This could not stop the decline, though, and in 1965 the theatre was closed and converted into a short-lived television and film studio. In 1967, it was bought by the Rank Organisation
and turned into a Mecca Bingo hall; the conversion work included the insertion of a raised floor above the stage and through the proscenium
arch.
Repairs were carried out on the coloured glass awnings above the entrance in the early 1990s. The building remained in use as a bingo hall until 2007, but closed in that year and is still empty as of . 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. 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, a registered charity and 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.
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 ... [and] of 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.
ed, 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. The central section has a stepped pediment
above a dentil
cornice and a rectangular panel with the letters projecting. Below this, a three-part awning projects as a lean-to
, forming a low roof. This obscures the centre bay
, which has three arches with entrances below. The middle entrance has a porch flanked by fluted
pilaster
s and topped by an entablature
with a pulvinated (convex) frieze
. The arch has a decorative archivolt
. 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 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 chamfer
ed 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.
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
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
. Above the auditorium is an intricately patterned dome, and there are Indo-Saracenic-style
onion dome
s on top of the two-part stage-boxes—evoking the style of the nearby Royal Pavilion
. 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.
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, 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
Bingo (Non-US)
Bingo or housey-housey or housie is a gambling game that began in Italy in the 1500s. The game is believed to have migrated to France, Great Britain, and other parts of Europe in the 1700s...
ceased, but since its construction in 1897 it has hosted an ice rink, circus acts, variety theatre
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
, vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
shows and bands such as the Beatles and Rolling Stones. The flamboyantly decorated interior, with a large auditorium and Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
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
Charitable trust
A charitable trust is an irrevocable trust established for charitable purposes, and is a more specific term than "charitable organization".-United States:...
expressed concern over its future. English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
has listed the building at Grade II* for its architectural and historical importance.
History
By the end of the 19th century, Brighton had been a fashionable and thriving seaside resortSeaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
, 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 twitten
Twitten
Twitten is an old Sussex dialect word, used in both East and West Sussex, for a path or alleyway. It is still in common use. The word is also in common use in the London residential area known as Hampstead Garden Suburb....
s. 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
Middle Street Synagogue, Brighton
The Middle Street Synagogue is a synagogue in the centre of Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. It was the centre for Jewish worship in Brighton and Hove for more than a century, and has been called Brighton's second most important historic building...
.
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 stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
ed façade with short towers at each end. 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
Frank Matcham
Frank Matcham was a famous English theatrical architect. He is buried in Highgate Cemetery.-Early career:...
, 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, more work was carried out, and on 22 December 1902 the Hippodrome reopened as a variety theatre
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
and circus.
Until his death at the venue in 1910, theatre entrepreneur Thomas Barrasford managed the Hippodrome, which quickly became Brighton's most important variety theatre. Shows of all types were staged there, and top-name entertainers such as Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt was a French stage and early film actress, and has been referred to as "the most famous actress the world has ever known". Bernhardt made her fame on the stages of France in the 1870s, and was soon in demand in Europe and the Americas...
, Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
, Gracie Fields
Gracie Fields
Dame Gracie Fields, DBE , was an English-born, later Italian-based actress, singer and comedienne and star of both cinema and music hall.-Early life:...
, Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-born American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer noted for his sensational escape acts...
, Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
, Lillie Langtry
Lillie Langtry
Lillie Langtry , usually spelled Lily Langtry when she was in the U.S., born Emilie Charlotte Le Breton, was a British actress born on the island of Jersey...
and Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
appeared. Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
played the venue early in his stage career—but fell over on his first entrance on his début. One of Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
's first roles was a bit-part in theatre impresario Fred Karno
Fred Karno
Frederick John Westcott , best known by his stage name Fred Karno, was a theatre impresario of the British music hall. Karno is credited with inventing the custard-pie-in-the-face gag. Among the young comedians who worked for him were Charlie Chaplin and Arthur Jefferson, who later adopted the...
's comedy Saturday to Monday, staged in May 1907; and Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh, Lady Olivier was an English actress. She won the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire , a role she also played on stage in London's West End, as well as for her portrayal of the southern belle Scarlett O'Hara, alongside Clark...
gave an acclaimed performance in George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
's play The Doctor's Dilemma. Local stars also featured: Max Miller, the Brighton-born music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
entertainer and comedian, appeared on many occasions during the mid-20th century; and conjoined twins
Conjoined twins
Conjoined twins are identical twins whose bodies are joined in utero. A rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 50,000 births to 1 in 100,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in Southwest Asia and Africa. Approximately half are stillborn, and a smaller fraction of...
Daisy and Violet Hilton
Daisy and Violet Hilton
Daisy Hilton and Violet Hilton were a pair of conjoined twins who toured in the U.S. sideshow and vaudeville circuit in the 1930s.-Early life:...
, whose vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
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 1939: it was extended on the site of two houses on the north side, increasing the capacity of its main auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
to 1,400. Its overall capacity was 3,000, although an attendance of 4,500 was recorded on one occasion. After World War I, though, 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 was accordingly adapted to host concerts and other large-scale events: 4,000 people were attracted to concerts by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
(part of their 1964 World Tour
The Beatles' 1964 world tour
-Europe:*04/06/1964: Copenhagen - K.B. Hallen*06/06/1964: Blokker - Veilinghal-Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand:*10/06/1964: Hong Kong - Princess Theatre*12-13/06/1964: Adelaide - Centennial Hall*15-17/06/1964: Melbourne - Festival Hall...
) and The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
(on their 4th British Tour 1964
The Rolling Stones 4th British Tour 1964
The Rolling Stones' 1964 4th British Tour was a concert tour by the band. The tour commenced on September 5 and concluded on October 11, 1964.-Tour band:*Mick Jagger - lead vocals, harmonica*Keith Richards - guitar, backing vocals...
) in October 1964. This could not stop the decline, though, and in 1965 the theatre was closed and converted into a short-lived television and film studio. In 1967, it was bought by the Rank Organisation
Rank Organisation
The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment company formed during 1937 and absorbed in 1996 by The Rank Group Plc. It was the largest and most vertically-integrated film company in Britain, owning production, distribution and exhibition facilities....
and turned into a Mecca Bingo hall; the conversion work included the insertion of a raised floor above the stage and through the proscenium
Proscenium
A proscenium theatre is a theatre space whose primary feature is a large frame or arch , which is located at or near the front of the stage...
arch.
Repairs were carried out on the coloured glass awnings above the entrance in the early 1990s. The building remained in use as a bingo hall until 2007, but closed in that year and is still empty as of . In 2008, property investment firm Cheval Properties bought it and leased it to Academy Music Group
Academy Music Group
Academy Music Group is a leading owner-operator of music venues in the United Kingdom. They operate a number of medium sized venues, the majority of which took the name Carling Academy after their sponsor Carling. Some of these academies also contain smaller venues used for less well known acts...
(AMG), who planned to work with events company Live Nation
Live Nation
Live Nation is a live-events company based in Beverly Hills, California, focused on concert promotions. Live Nation formed in 2005 as a spin-off from Clear Channel Communications, which then merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 to become Live Nation Entertainment....
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, a registered charity and 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.
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 ... [and] of 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.
Architecture
The exterior of the former Hippodrome is in three parts and is stuccoStucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
ed, but there is apparently brickwork, terracotta
Terra cotta
Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...
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
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
above a dentil
Dentil
In classical architecture a dentil is a small block used as a repeating ornament in the bedmould of a cornice.The Roman architect Vitruvius In classical architecture a dentil (from Lat. dens, a tooth) is a small block used as a repeating ornament in the bedmould of a cornice.The Roman architect...
cornice and a rectangular panel with the letters projecting. Below this, a three-part awning projects as a lean-to
Lean-to
A lean-to is a term used to describe a roof with a single slope. The term also applies to a variety of structures that are built using a lean-to roof....
, forming a low roof. This obscures the centre bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
, which has three arches with entrances below. The middle entrance has a porch flanked by fluted
Fluting (architecture)
Fluting in architecture refers to the shallow grooves running vertically along a surface.It typically refers to the grooves running on a column shaft or a pilaster, but need not necessarily be restricted to those two applications...
pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s and topped by an entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
with a pulvinated (convex) frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
. The arch has a decorative archivolt
Archivolt
An archivolt is an ornamental molding or band following the curve on the underside of an arch. It is composed of bands of ornamental moldings surrounding an arched opening, corresponding to the architrave in the case of a rectangular 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
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...
.
A pair of short towers stand alongside the centre bay. They each have a simple straight-headed entrance with pilasters, a cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
and a pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
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
Chamfer
A chamfer is a beveled edge connecting two surfaces. If the surfaces are at right angles, the chamfer will typically be symmetrical at 45 degrees. A fillet is the rounding off of an interior corner. A rounding of an exterior corner is called a "round" or a "radius"."Chamfer" is a term commonly...
ed arches, ornate mouldings
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
, Ionic columns
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
and a cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
. Above the frieze is a scroll-moulded cartouche
Cartouche (design)
A cartouche is an oval or oblong design with a slightly convex surface, typically edged with ornamental scrollwork. It is used to hold a painted or low relief design....
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
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
shaped like a horseshoe, with seats arranged in a circle around it and in front of the stage. Above this is a proscenium
Proscenium
A proscenium theatre is a theatre space whose primary feature is a large frame or arch , which is located at or near the front of the stage...
arch featuring elaborate Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
-style moulded plasterwork showing dolphins and female figures, and with egg-and-dart
Egg-and-dart
Egg-and-dart or Egg-and-tongue is an ornamental device often carved in wood, stone, or plaster quarter-round ovolo mouldings, consisting of an egg-shaped object alternating with an element shaped like an arrow, anchor or dart. Egg-and-dart enrichment of the ovolo molding of the Ionic capital is...
decoration to the architrave
Architrave
An architrave is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of the columns. It is an architectural element in Classical architecture.-Classical architecture:...
. Above the auditorium is an intricately patterned dome, and there are Indo-Saracenic-style
Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture
The Indo-Saracenic Revival was an architectural style movement by British architects in the late 19th century in British India...
onion dome
Onion dome
An onion dome is a dome whose shape resembles the onion, after which they are named. Such domes are often larger in diameter than the drum upon which they are set, and their height usually exceeds their width...
s on top of the two-part stage-boxes—evoking the style of the nearby Royal Pavilion
Royal Pavilion
The Royal Pavilion is a former royal residence located in Brighton, England. It was built in three campaigns, beginning in 1787, as a seaside retreat for George, Prince of Wales, from 1811 Prince Regent. It is often referred to as the Brighton Pavilion...
. 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.