Derby Hippodrome - Must Be Saved!
"The Derby Hippodrome Restoration Trust is delighted that proposals to develop the Hippodrome site as a multi-storey car park have been rejected by the Planning Control Committee of Derby City Council. The decision to follow the council officers' recommendation to reject the application was unanimous and followed speeches on the night from the Theatres Trust, English Heritage, Derby Civic Society and DHRT, all urging that the plans be rejected. Councillors on the committee also spoke out strongly, making clear that there was no need for another car park and that it was important to retain Derby's heritage. The decision was greeted by cheers and applause from those sitting in the public gallery, where banners and placards in support of restoration of the Hippodrome were on display."
The council's webcast recording of the meeting can be viewed here: http://clients.westminster-digital.co.uk/dcc/player.aspx?EventID=1643"
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A Potted History...
The Derby Hippodrome is a purpose built theatre opened in 1914 as a 2,300 capacity Variety house. It was converted in 1930 into an 1,800 seat cinema, becoming a theatre once more for only 9 years until 1959. Three years later the theatre was purchased by Mecca Group who converted the theatre into a Bingo Social Club and was later purchased by Walker's Bingo Group.
Walkers Bingo ceased operations rather suddenly and in 2007 sold the theatre to Mr Christopher Anthony, a Property Developer.
Local people expressed concern as to the theatre’s future through the pages of the Derby Evening Telegraph and through the winter of late 2007- early 2008 the paper reported numerous incidents of vandalism to the building and pointed to the fact that the vandals could gain entry to the building with apparent ease.
Continued deterioration prompted a local businessman to make an offer to purchase the building from Mr Anthony, but the offer was rejected and in February 2008 an arson attack caused damage to the orchestra pit area of the theatre. The following month the Derby Evening Telegraph published shocking photographs of the wrecked interior. The pictures published in the Telegraph edition of Wednesday March 19th showed that the entire dress circle balcony had been removed and all its plaster work destroyed.
Elsewhere much of the decorative plaster work around the auditorium had disappeared including large sections of the proscenium arch. Remains of the plaster mouldings on the floor suggested that the damage was the result of deliberate vandalism involving a sledge hammer rather than natural decay. Commenting in that edition of the paper several people interviewed called for the Council to step in and save the building and the Council’s spokesperson said that the Council was doing everything that it could do within its power. Ironically, 9 days later, on Friday March 28th the theatre suffered its most serious blow to date. It transpired that the Council had indeed served a Repairs Notice upon Mr Anthony and a day earlier two large machines commonly used in demolition work, appeared alongside the theatre. Several members of the public contacted the Council to express concern but on the morning of Friday March 28th the machinery was used to undertake work to the building. During the course of this work, a large section of the wall and roof collapsed and by the end of the day all of the roof, the fly tower and the entire left hand wall of the auditorium had been reduced to rubble. Photographs the following day in the Derby Evening Telegraph showed the extent of the damage with the auditorium and stage house in ruins.
Before (condition noted in 2007)
After (from 28 Days Later site)
Derby City Council later pursued an injunction at the High Court in London preventing any further work to the building and some months later issued a Repairs Notice on Mr Anthony. The Repairs Notice was subsequently suspended and Mr Anthony’s company submitted an application to replace the Hippodrome with a multi storey car park. The proposals showed that only the Macklin Street and Green Lane frontages will be retained, otherwise the entire interior of the theatre would to be lost. See News and the articles below for the latest position...
July 2010 - Derby Telegraph - Car Park Plan Voted Out!
July 2010 - Derby Telegraph - A Correction Required
July 2010 - Derby Telegraph - How the Hippo could look
July 2010 - The Stage - Turning Point!
July 2010 - Anton Rippon’s Report in The Derby Telegraph
February 2010 - The Stage Article - Hippodrome Owner Pleads Guilty
February 2010 - Daily Telegraph Article
There are many photos of the devastation at 28 Days Later - Urban Exploration Website. Particularly here and here.
There are four videos on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS5UOSz2dBg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66cj-J21poQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qBpwoZpSno
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPPXlL8Lwuw
You can see our original website which shows how beautiful the theatre was in 2007.
