Selsey Pavilion

How our support helped community campaign group Selsey Pavilion Trust on the journey to buying the building.

Selsey Pavilion is a landmark Art Deco theatre hall that has been on Selsey’s High Street since 1913, but it has been closed for 50 years.

We have been supporting local campaign group, the Selsey Pavilion Trust, for many years in its ambition to restore and reopen Selsey Pavilion as a multi-functional cultural hub.  

This has included providing, architectural, planning and capital works advice and supporting the group in successful bids to the Architectural Heritage Fund for early-stage viability and project development work. We also provided feedback on both the design and business planning elements of the proposals. and knowledge.

This early-stage work formed vital supporting documentation for Selsey Pavilion Trust’s successful bid to the Community Ownership Fund, an application, which we also supported.

A £299,400 award from the Community Ownership Fund led to match funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Garfield Weston Foundation. The group announced it had completed the purchase of the building in March 2023. Grants have also been secured from the Swire Charitable Trust and Selsey Town Council to support vital repairs, and from the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund to replace the dilapidated porthole windows at the front of the building.

Through our network of contacts in the theatre sector, we have also put Selsey Pavilion Trust in touch with other small theatre operators in their region, so they could share best practice.

Christian Skelton, Chairman of Selsey Pavilion Trust “We extend our heartfelt gratitude for your invaluable support throughout this journey. Your contributions have played a pivotal role in securing the Pavilion’s long-term future. We are committed to continuing this collaborative effort as we embark on the crucial restoration phase.”

Photo credit: Fred Howarth, 2023