Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre

A theatre and a ballroom under one roof, argued about for forty years before it was built: the council had the money in 1892 and residents who objected to licensed premises kept blocking it until after the First World War. The Duke of Gloucester finally opened it in 1929, at a cost of £250,000.

The building

It was designed as a concert hall for the municipal orchestra, then rebuilt within five years to take theatre as well; the reopening in July 1934 was The White Horse Inn. Two storeys were added either side of the entrance in the 1950s.

The Oasis Bar, tacked onto the west end in 1975, was disliked enough to be demolished again in 2007. The gardens it sits in have been public pleasure grounds since 1859.

Opening dates, capacities and architects on this page come from the theatre's own history pages and from Wikipedia.