Theatr Clwyd listed at Grade II

CADW has awarded Grade II listed status to Theatr Clwyd in recognition of its architectural interest as an important example of a post war civic arts and theatre complex.

Built as a regional arts centre designed to accommodate multiple performance spaces, TV studios, gallery and functions room, the project was started by Flintshire County Council in 1969 and completed under Clwyd County Council in 1976. The building was designed by R.W.Harvey, county architect for Flintshire and opened as ‘Clwyd Theatre and Educational Technology Centre’ on 21 May 1976 by HM the Queen.

Theatr Clwyd is part of the wave of publicly funded theatre building in the post-war period. The passing of the Local Government Act in 1948 enabled local authorities to use part of their income from rates to support the arts and the buildings in which they were housed.

The theatre has received Grade II list in recognition that it is the key example of a post war civic arts and theatre complex this building type in Wales and one of the leading examples in the UK. It survives largely intact and is notable for the range of related facilities that were incorporated into the design. Amongst the evidence quoted in the listing is the workshop report from our event in 2017 Understanding and Working with Post-War Theatre buildings c.1950-1985 held in association with Edinburgh College of Art.