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Opera House, Royal Tunbridge Wells

Coordinates: 51°08′01″N 0°15′50″E / 51.13371°N 0.26380°E / 51.13371; 0.26380
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Opera House
The Opera House
Map
General information
StatusOpen
TypeOpera house
Architectural styleEdwardian Baroque
Town or cityRoyal Tunbridge Wells
CountryEngland
Groundbreaking1901-10-10
Completed1902
Opened1902
Renovated1996
OwnerJ D Wetherspoon
Design and construction
Architect(s)John Briggs
Awards and prizesGrade II listed building

The Opera House is a former opera house and current pub in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. It is a Grade II listed building.[1]

History

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Construction was completed in 1902 to designs by architect John Priestley Briggs.[2] When it was opened, it had a capacity of 1,100. In 1913, the Opera House hosted a series of charity fundraising concerts gather funds to rebuild the Nevill Ground's cricket pavilion after the original pavilion was destroyed in a suffragette arson attack.[3] The Opera House was purchased by Union Cinemas in 1931 and turned into a cinema.[4]

The Opera House was bombed in the Second World War. The bomb did not explode but instead got caught in the proscenium arch above the stage and set fire to the inside of the Opera House, leading to a renovation before eventual re-opening in 1949.[5] It was later turned into a bingo hall in the 1960s after threats to demolish it.[5][6] In November 1966, the Opera House was granted Grade II listed status.[1]

In 1996, the Opera House was purchased by J D Wetherspoon and was turned into a public house.[2] In 2006, the Opera House again hosted an opera performance, of Handel's Tamerlano.[7] More recently there have been annual performances by Kent-based ‘The Merry Opera Company’ with Troy Boy, La traviata, The Magic Flute, Kiss Me, Figaro!,[8] The Barber of Seville, and in 2016, La Boheme.[9]

Design

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The Opera House

The interior was designed in Edwardian Baroque and Neo-Georgian styles. The exterior includes a Baroque dome on the roof.[2] The dome originally had a nude statue of Mercury on the top, which was removed in the 1920s, either because it was unstable in poor weather or was viewed as sinful by local residents.[5] In 1923, the main staircase was altered to include an 18th-century painting of revellers.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Historic England (24 November 1966). "The Opera House (1338803)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "Opera House (Tunbridge Wells)". Theatres Trust. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  3. ^ "Blowing up a blind man and his dog". ESPN. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  4. ^ "Old Cinemas - Tunbridge Wells". Cinematopia. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  5. ^ a b c "The Opera House". Trinity Theatre. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  6. ^ "Opera House". Heritage Open Days. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  7. ^ "Tamerlano at The Opera House in Tunbridge Wells". This is Kent. 21 November 2008. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  8. ^ "Tunbridge Wells pub reverts to opera house for day". BBC News. 23 March 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  9. ^ "at The Opera House". Tunbridge Wells - The Official Tourism Website for Tunbridge Wells. Archived from the original on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
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51°08′01″N 0°15′50″E / 51.13371°N 0.26380°E / 51.13371; 0.26380

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