Brighton Hippodrome

Significance

The Grade II* listed Hippodrome originally opened as an ice-skating rink in 1897, designed by Lewis Karslake. In 1901, eminent theatre architect Frank Matcham converted it into a circus. Further adaptations in 1902 by another distinguished theatre architect of the time, Bertie Crewe, saw it modified into a variety theatre.

In 1916 the building was updated again, this time by J. Emblin Walker. The substantial alterations included the creation of a new stage, fly tower and dressing room block.

Further additions during the building’s life included the Palm Court Lounge within the adjoining Hippodrome House. Constructed to resemble an old Italian garden, it was designed to enable ticketholders to wait in luxurious surroundings before shows started and had two cocktail bars. The original idea included a false Italian bridge with concealed lighting set over a green tiled fishpond and fountain.

The most spectacular feature of the building remains its circular auditorium with its richly decorated ceiling in the form of a panelled tent. The relationship between the stage house, auditorium, and circle, as well as the ancillary areas, is significant as a unique example of our past cultural and recreational pursuits.

The Hippodrome is also on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register and is considered the UK’s most architecturally significant circus theatre – the finest surviving example of its type in the country.

Why is this theatre at risk?

Brighton Hippodrome has been on the Theatres at Risk Register since 2006 when we started the list.

Since it closed as a bingo hall in 2006, the Hippodrome has been vacant and the historic fabric at risk of severe deterioration. A succession of ownerships had exacerbated delays to urgent works and had seen the building condition steadily worsen. The building had also been subject to various proposals for redevelopment that would have seen this historic venue irreversibly altered and historic features lost. A planning approval in 2014 sought to convert the Hippodrome into a multiplex cinema (since expired) and a 2019 scheme for a hotel and spa complex, with serviced apartments, would have seen the central auditorium space landlocked, rendering it unviable.

Local developer Matsim Properties took ownership of the Hippodrome in September 2020, just as Brighton and Hove City Council, with support from Historic England, approved the authorisation to issue an Urgent Works Notice on the Hippodrome. The new owner quickly commenced work to secure the Hippodrome from further deterioration, including erecting a new structure above the auditorium to help protect the fragile fibrous plaster and the removal of dry rot.

In summer 2021, Matsim published proposals for the Hippodrome, The Hippodrome Consultation Boards, to redevelop the site for an apart-hotel, serviced offices and business / retail unit, with the main auditorium retained for dining with terraced restaurant-style seating, and a new circular stage to allow an element of performance. Theatres Trust commented to voice concerns regarding the viability and future sustainability of the proposals, in particular to the level of irreversible physical and operational harm to the historic significance of the building. The proposed alternative uses of the stage and the fly tower, and the proposal to build over the yard, that provides vital rear access to the theatre, would have prevented the building from ever being used as a theatre again.

In August 2022, Matsim submitted a planning application for the Hippodrome to be repurposed as a mixed-use development. The scheme comprises an event / performance space, two apart-hotels, serviced office / flexible workspace, a bar / restaurant and supporting facilities, which is to be met through a combination of retention and restoration of the auditorium, loss and alteration of other existing spaces and new build development. Our response to the original application can be found here.

Additional documentation and amended plans were submitted in March 2023 and the scheme was granted planning permission in April 2024. Our response can be found here.

While Theatres Trust is not unsupportive of the proposed reuse of the Hippodrome as an event / performance space, we opposed the plans in the form submitted as we believe them to be unviable for the type of mixed-use performance programme that Matsim hopes for. The plans would also prevent the theatre ever returning as a large-scale venue, and there is a real concern that these untested plans could potentially threaten the future viability and use of the Hippodrome as a performance space.

Theatre potential

In 2015, a stakeholder group, including campaign group Brighton Hippodrome Community Interest Company (CIC), Theatres Trust, Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) and the Frank Matcham Society commissioned a viability study. This concluded that the building does have a viable and sustainable operational future as a large-scale commercial theatre if the challenge of raising funds for restoration could be met.

The CIC also undertook further detailed work to prove the viability of the proposed return of the Hippodrome to a large-scale theatre, including structural surveys, initial designs and costings for a phased restoration of the building, an economic impact study on the effect of a restored Hippodrome on the city, and external validation of their business plan by both an independent arts consultancy and two large-scale regional theatre venues. The group also secured the backing of national theatre operators and producers for the use of the building as a large-scale receiving theatre and submitted pre-app proposals for its scheme to both Brighton and Hove Council and to Historic England. It is clear that there is a gap in the Brighton market for a large-scale theatre. The Hippodrome is well located in the city and has the potential to meet this demand – the challenge is raising the funds to achieve this.

Current situation

The scale of the financial challenge to restore and rejuvenate the Hippodrome is such that, we believed, a mix of private and public funding would be best able to secure its future.

Initially it was hoped that there may have been opportunity for the CIC, as a not-for-profit organisation, to support Matsim Properties in developing the flexible, large-scale theatre proposition. However, the developer-owner has been keen to progress the project themselves, funding the scheme via their own means.

Since Matsim took ownership of the Hippodrome, Theatres Trust has met them on several occasions. While we disagree on whether there could be a future for the Hippodrome as a large-scale theatre, we have been pleased to see the developer’s investment in protecting the Hippodrome from further deterioration and their passion for the building. We have commented on the scheme both during the consultation process and planning. We have also introduced them to the operator of a multi-purpose entertainment venue that hosts a similar programme to that suggested by Matsim. It is hoped that this has allowed Matsim a greater understanding of our comments regarding the practicality and workability of design, and alerted them to the complexities of operating a live entertainment venue.

Theatres Trust’s preferred use for the Hippodrome would be a development that remains sensitive to the possible future reinstatement of the theatre as a large-scale venue for performance. However, we acknowledge there are current constraints in delivering large-scale theatre at the Hippodrome due to the current funding environment. Furthermore, there is a pressing need to arrest further deterioration of the building. While not the optimum viable use in heritage terms, in principle we therefore consider Matsim’s proposed use, for the auditorium and associated functions, a potentially sensitive and compatible use. However, as stated in our planning response we do have concerns regarding the operability and viability of the scheme as a venue for live music, comedy, cabaret, conferencing and other such functions and events.

We therefore welcomed the conditions placed by Brighton and Hove City Council, agreed by the Planning Committee who resolved to  grant planning permission (and listed building consent) subject to legal agreements. Those conditions addressed our concerns with the limited front of house space, servicing access and back of house operations, and require an operator and event management plan to be put in place before the rest of the development goes ahead. We hope that these conditions will help Matsim succeed in its plans to develop Brighton Hippodrome into a viable and vibrant performance venue for the city.

With a Section 106 agreement having been agreed between the council and Matsim, a formal decision notice granting planning permission was issued in July 2024.

Progress towards the building’s restoration is underway and in August 2024 Matsim held a one-off open day event to reveal the work undertaken. It has been suggested that the building works will take a further two years to complete.

As with other Theatres at Risk in similar stages of their building works, it is considered prudent to retain Brighton Hippodrome on the Register until such times as the works are further progressed. However, we have, lowered the building’s risk level in recognition of the work undertaken to date.

Images, Brighton Hippodrome, Theatres Trust, 2017