Workington Opera House
Encyclopedia
The Workington Opera House, or The Opera as it was known, is a purpose built theatre
located in Workington, Cumbria, England. Originally built as the Queen’s Jubilee Hall & Opera House it was gutted by fire
in 1927 and rebuilt with a fine wide auditorium
, and Ornamental ceiling with seating for 1200. The theatre has good sightlines and a large stage and currently sits empty after its former use as a bingo hall ended in 2004.
with two balconies accommodating 1,130 people. The theatre was also equipped with a small stage
with a proscenium
width of 11 metres, a depth of 9.14 metres and a grid height of 14 metres. An orchestra
pit for 16 musicians was also included.
including cinemas, bingo halls and in the past they owned and ran a number of theatres.
to be replaced with retail units and flats
. The Save Workington Opera House group are fighting to have this building made available to the town of Workington
as a working civic theatre that the community can be proud of.
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
located in Workington, Cumbria, England. Originally built as the Queen’s Jubilee Hall & Opera House it was gutted by fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
in 1927 and rebuilt with a fine wide 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 :...
, and Ornamental ceiling with seating for 1200. The theatre has good sightlines and a large stage and currently sits empty after its former use as a bingo hall ended in 2004.
History
The theatre was designed by T. L. Banks & Townsend and had a small auditoriumAuditorium
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 :...
with two balconies accommodating 1,130 people. The theatre was also equipped with a small stage
Stage (theatre)
In theatre or performance arts, the stage is a designated space for the performance productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience...
with 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...
width of 11 metres, a depth of 9.14 metres and a grid height of 14 metres. An orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
pit for 16 musicians was also included.
- Other names:
- Queen's Jubilee Hall
- Dates:
- Opened 1888. Date of first use not known.
- 1888 - Design/Construction:
- T.L. Banks & Townsend - Architect
- 1897-1900 - Alteration: reconstructed after explosionExplosionAn explosion is a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner, usually with the generation of high temperatures and the release of gases. An explosion creates a shock wave. If the shock wave is a supersonic detonation, then the source of the blast is called a "high explosive"...
(architectArchitectAn architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
unknown) - 1927-1930 - Alteration: reconstructed after fire (architect unknown)
- 1963-1970 - Alteration: façadeFacadeA facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
rebuilt (architect unknown)
Current owners
Graves (Cumberland) Ltd currently own the building and have planning permission for 5 years to replace the theatre with retail and residential units. Graves own many different assets across CumbriaCumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
including cinemas, bingo halls and in the past they owned and ran a number of theatres.
The future of the theatre
The Workington Opera House is now under threat of demolitionDemolition
Demolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....
to be replaced with retail units and flats
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
. The Save Workington Opera House group are fighting to have this building made available to the town of Workington
Workington
Workington is a town, civil parish and port on the west coast of Cumbria, England, at the mouth of the River Derwent. Lying within the Borough of Allerdale, Workington is southwest of Carlisle, west of Cockermouth, and southwest of Maryport...
as a working civic theatre that the community can be proud of.
Specifications
- Capacities:
- Original: 1,330
- After 1950: 1,219
- Listings:
- Grade not listed
- Stage type:
- ProsceniumProsceniumA 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...
- Proscenium
- Dimensions
- Stage dimensions:
- Depth: 9.14m
- Proscenium width: 11m
- Height to grid: 14m
- Orchestra pitOrchestra pitAn orchestra pit is the area in a theater in which musicians perform. Orchestral pits are utilized in forms of theatre that require music or in cases when incidental music is required...
: Original, for 16 musicians
- Stage dimensions: