It really is crunch time for Brighton Hippodrome.
Tomorrow (Wednesday 3 April) the application to restore this hidden jewel in Brighton’s crown will come to Brighton and Hove City Council’s Planning Committee.
After more than a decade of working with various owners, I am hopeful that councillors will recognise that this is THE opportunity to bring this beautiful and historic venue back into use.
The building was constructed in 1897 as an ice rink. However, some years later the renowned theatre architect, Frank Matcham, converted the building into a circus, at which point it was named The Hippodrome.
It has been adapted on several occasions over time but its original design for use as an entertainment / variety venue continued from 1902 until the mid-1960s.
The building hosted many international artists touring the country, with the Beatles notably playing at the Hippodrome on three occasions.
The Hippodrome’s beautiful Matcham-designed ceiling and interior is of the highest significance – and is a feature which heritage bodies rightly recognise must be preserved. With the building remaining unused and deteriorating since 2006, it has long been on the Theatres Trust “at risk register”.
Other Matcham buildings of note include magnificent theatres such as the London Coliseum and the London Palladium as well as the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool which, like Brighton Hippodrome, was not originally built as a theatre.
These venues serve to evidence Matcham’s importance as an architect of national significance and that there is interest beyond Brighton and Hove in the preservation of his work.
Since the new owners, a local family firm called Matsim, purchased the building in 2020, they have invested over £5 million to restore the fabric of the building. They have put forward exciting plans to bring the building back into use as a live performance venue.
I know that some would prefer to hold out for a possible future proposal to transform the building into a “lyric theatre” – a large-scale theatre which can accommodate touring productions of musicals and other genres like dance and opera.
However, there has never been a proposal with sufficient funding to achieve that vision and it’s worth noting that the Hippodrome was not originally designed as a lyric theatre – nor has it ever been one.
We are running out of time and options and the priority for me is to ensure that the building doesn’t deteriorate any further. The Matsim plans represent an exciting and practical proposal and I believe it’s vital that we seize this opportunity now.
I’m pleased to see that planning officers have recommended Matsim’s application be approved and I have submitted two statements in support of the plans.
The millions of pounds already spent on the project to date have paid for a new roof to be installed while significant sums have been spent to ensure the building is watertight and to prevent further deterioration.
I’m convinced that they truly do recognise their role as custodians and are anxious to complete further work to protect the building. Without planning permission, they can only plug gaps – not undertake work at the scale needed to secure the building’s future in the long term.
Brighton and Hove has a long and proud reputation as a vibrant contributor to the arts sector and for its role in nurturing new talent.
It is no coincidence that so many established acts make their home in the city, such as Fatboy Slim, Royal Blood and Nick Cave – or that it attracts so many new up-and-coming acts to perform or be based here at the start of their careers.
The arts scene in Brighton and Hove is strong and diverse and the city has played an important role in developing and supporting many now nationally and internationally renowned artists.
Brighton Hippodrome’s rich musical and variety history, coupled with its beautiful interior, will serve to strengthen the city’s offer and contribution to the arts, including by providing a unique new venue fit for the future.
From the information the applicant has shared with me, they are committed to conserving the venue – maintaining and managing change in a way that sustains and, where appropriate, enhances its significance.
I am also confident that they fully recognise the cultural significance of the Hippodrome and that it is a building of national importance to the arts.
With the loss over the years of so many live performance venues, this opportunity to restore and preserve aspects of the UK’s proud music hall, variety and theatre history is of national significance and must be seized.
Caroline Lucas is the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion.
Most (thankfully not all) politicians are philistines. Usually the arts ministers use it as a stepping stone and have zero knowledge of visual or performance arts. And won’t have heard of Matcham.
I hope and pray that The Hippodrome will be saved.
The other big issue is that the council have a lot invested in the Dome both financially & support wise so unless there are other pots of finance at this cash strapped time I think it unlikely it will be granted all relevant licences ,even though its a magnificent building !!
Sadly it doesn’t fit in the greens or labours plans, so will probably get refused permission.
It would be fantastic to see the “Hippodrome” turned into a “Lyric” styled theatre, for large scale productions. We certainly do not need another hotel; food hall and a smaller performance area, which has been suggested!
That’s never going to happen. Nobody will fund it and it has never been one.
The current proposal is the best possible realistic option IMO.
You do understand that it simply doesn’t have the seating capacity for a lyric theatre, (tickets would be so expensive it would prevent many from going). There are huge access issues too. Those that understand the Hippodrome, (and worked there for 17 years), know that its longevity has come through it’s flrxibilty to be many different things: Ice Rink, Circus, theatre, TV Studio, Bingo Hall, Concert Venue etc. Instead of clinging to some quaint and outdated notion it needs it needs to show that flexibility again to survive for future generations. We should ALL be backing tha plans on the table.
Matism have done a fantastic job so far & invested so much into it. Please let them finish the work so that the Hippodrome can become, what it has always been, a preforming arts venue. It is a real gem & a true asset for Brighton.
I think Paul Fowler puts his finger on the problem. The Council want the Dome to succeed and see the Hippodrome as a distraction. I just hope that some of them who know how varied modern performance can be , will see the possibilities in this beautiful building. Likewise it would help if the “lyric theatre” brigade piped down. As Caroline Lucas says, Hippodrome was never that! Thank goodness she is taking the initiative to save this project.
Attracting world class ballet & opera to a city as world renowned as Brighton is, is a must not currently catered for. To have the Hippodrome in its city centre is an opportunity that should have been grabbed years ago.
With a capacity less than half that of a usual lyric theatre good luck with those ticket prices!
The green party have messed up our town. They pack their bags and leave Brighton, ASAP!!!!
I don’t suppose it matters too much if people are poor writers, so long as the message gets across, and a list is as good a tool as any if that is all that can be managed. But from a politician?
I heard Natalie Bennett on the radio this morning being asked about our water authorities situation, and whilst everyone was discussing population growth, rainfall, the recent changes of migration from the workplace to home and possible expansion of our outfall systems with regard to recent technology, grey water etc, all she could manage was the old ‘return to public ownership’ soundbite, as if it actually held a solution, illustrating that the only solution she has is not dissimilar to the effluent in question.
It’s pitiful, actually, that our politicians have so little vision beyond pumping their empty political lines, like Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth, who would say that a sparrow is an elephant if it suited his party politics to do so. He is the worst of the lot, however, by quite a long way. Natalie Bennett can be forgiven for finding herself way above her ability level, but all credit to her and all that.
Caroline Lucas is correct, though, in her clumsy way. Any arts venue is of the greatest importance for all kinds of reasons, and it must be available to everyone in some attempt to ignite some lost passion for something above the misery of everyday struggles, maybe even a promotion of a compassion that would instil empathy upon those you step over, camped in the doorway, as you leave. Another consequence and reminder of our failed country. And art, in that moment, is all that matters, like a black and white 1960s Rita Tushingham movie of bomb-site London, finding romance in poverty. Maybe this is what Caroline Lucas is preparing us for. Maybe this is her plan all along and she’s smarter than I give her credit for.
So, all this from a politician banging on about the importance of a restored venue.
So, is it sincere, or is it just another angle to be exploited?
I may be too critical, but I have come to distrust any politician, and disregard their outpourings by default. Considering the damage that The Greens brought upon our city, and Lucas’ defence of them, and the continued evaporation of their party at a time when it should be so easy, the fifteen year failure of Labour to win a single General Election due to being even more incompetent than the government, and we are where we are. No longer a great country and on the brink of being a gang-run ghetto. Britain has become Detroit of the 1990s. I don’t really want to hear from politicians any longer, about anything. And no, writing a list is not good enough to pass as a piece for publication. I’ve decided. It isn’t.
I’m always amazed that people seem to forget that Labour won the local elections in Brighton and Hove in 2015, 2019, and 2023, yet everybody always talks about it being a Green council. It was for a few years after Labour stood down because of their in-party squabbling and turmoil, but generally not over the last decade.
On this issue though, (although I’m not a planning expert) my understanding is that it’s not really a party political issue at all – and that the main thing is the planning committee did the right thing and approved the application. Def a good news story that they did.
How is a private club and hotel a open to all scenario
its a huge space these utilise spaces not in the main auditorium
How about a really top class art gallery!?
Well the Council made such a good job of safeguarding the West pier and the arches so what could possibly go wrong?
Should be used as law courts. Fail8ng that hotel.