Leslie Crowther Inspects Festival Hall Model - Newspaper Cutting, 1976
Title
Leslie Crowther Inspects Festival Hall Model - Newspaper Cutting, 1976
Date
16 January 1976
Description
Nottingham Evening Post article featuring Leslie Crowther, star of Babes in the Wood, the then current Theatre Royal pantomime, inspecting the model of the proposed Festival Hall complex.
What's the story?
In the 1970s it was the vision of Nottingham City Council, under the leadership of Councillors Len Maynard and John Carroll, to create innovative and major changes to the Theatre Royal and its surrounding buildings.
With the idea of a Festival Hall complex, which would include a refurbished and modernised Theatre Royal, on the site of the now razed Empire Theatre on South Sherwood Street would stand a new Concert Hall.
In order to enable the Theatre Royal to accommodate new offices, dressing rooms and a large loading bay to enable large-scale work from visiting companies, it was also proposed that the Victorian built County Hotel, immediately adjacent to the Theatre Royal be purchased and demolished.
At a time of austerity in Britain, these proposals were controversial due to the large amounts of money to be spent on the project, as well as the demolition of the County Hotel, a much-loved building in the city.
These arguments spanned most of the 1970s, culminating in 1977/1978 when the Festival Hall plans were rejected, but councillors deciding to continue with the Theatre Royal modernisation.
This continuing drama, worthy of the Theatre Royal stage itself, was regularly played out in the pages of the Nottingham Evening Post, the local daily paper for the city and whose offices at the time were directly opposite the proposed Concert Hall site on Forman Street.
This article and picture from January 1976 shows comedian and star of Babes in the Wood, the Theatre Royal Pantomime for the 1975/1976 season inspecting the model of the proposed Festival Hall complex.
This was on display to the public at the Broad Marsh Shopping Centre in Nottingham.
Crowther describes the proposal as “absolutely exciting”. Six months later, following a change in city council leadership, the Festival Hall project was shelved, with only the Theatre Royal refurbishment continuing.
With the idea of a Festival Hall complex, which would include a refurbished and modernised Theatre Royal, on the site of the now razed Empire Theatre on South Sherwood Street would stand a new Concert Hall.
In order to enable the Theatre Royal to accommodate new offices, dressing rooms and a large loading bay to enable large-scale work from visiting companies, it was also proposed that the Victorian built County Hotel, immediately adjacent to the Theatre Royal be purchased and demolished.
At a time of austerity in Britain, these proposals were controversial due to the large amounts of money to be spent on the project, as well as the demolition of the County Hotel, a much-loved building in the city.
These arguments spanned most of the 1970s, culminating in 1977/1978 when the Festival Hall plans were rejected, but councillors deciding to continue with the Theatre Royal modernisation.
This continuing drama, worthy of the Theatre Royal stage itself, was regularly played out in the pages of the Nottingham Evening Post, the local daily paper for the city and whose offices at the time were directly opposite the proposed Concert Hall site on Forman Street.
This article and picture from January 1976 shows comedian and star of Babes in the Wood, the Theatre Royal Pantomime for the 1975/1976 season inspecting the model of the proposed Festival Hall complex.
This was on display to the public at the Broad Marsh Shopping Centre in Nottingham.
Crowther describes the proposal as “absolutely exciting”. Six months later, following a change in city council leadership, the Festival Hall project was shelved, with only the Theatre Royal refurbishment continuing.
Type
Newspaper Cutting
Location of item
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Rights
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Contributor
Researcher: David Longford
