Interior Design Autum term -research

BA(Hons) Interior Design Level 4: Autumn Term

Ruby Hooper

Theatre RoyalThe Victorian theatre was opened in 1845 and was active as a theatre for 76 years (1845-1921). The reason for closure was due to

the rapid rate of growing competition within Manchester, Palace Theatre and Opera House grew in popularity which put Theatre Royal out of business. The building is the oldest surviving theatre in Manchester. John Gould Irwin & Francis Chester worked on the

architecture for the opening but the building was later alternated by Edward Salomon in 1871. Prior, Manchester was home to two Theatre Royals before this building, John Knowles was a respected theatre manager of the second Theatre Royal which burned down

in a fire; Knowles and Chester visited London in search of architectural inspiration before planning this building. The theatre held a capacity of 2,500 audience members and cost just over £23,000 to construct, a tank filled with 20,000 gallons of water was installed in

the roof as a fire precaution. In 1972 the unused theatre became a cinema until 1972, this is probably the most suiting adaptation because the layout is of a similar format. From 1972 until 1990 the the building was transformed into a Bingo Hall until lighting bridges

and rigs were installed to accommodate the new use which was a nightclub from 1990 until 2009.

The building has been unoccupied since 2012 but several proposals have been made to the council in hope of restoring the theatre and bringing the building back into public use. The Theatres Trust have stated that converions made for other purposes has obscured

the theatre rather than destroyed its assets. The Trust classified that the original interior is “restorable as a theatre”.

The three story building was constructed in sandstone ashlar, sandstone was a popular construction material due to its tolerance for the weather. The building has a Neoclassical style which began in the 18 th century, this style emphasizes the wall, giving is further

detail. Between the second and third story there is a cornice which is used to decorate the building and almost give it a crown, including this in the architecture gives the exterior a royal, superior appearance which has the ability to make the building appear

intimidating. The theatre was dedicated to Shakespeare so Knowles placed a statue of the iconic playwright central of the entrance, the Carrera marble statue then became Manchester’s finest statue for a short period of time, the statue sits within a pedimented niche

which draws attention to the central alignment and gives the statue further purpose and publicity.

This building caught my interest because of the previous uses still being visible to the public. The theatre sign still remains proudly at the top of the building and the coliseum nightclub signs hang on the sides of the building. The boards installed at the front are not

particularly design features but the change the way the public view the building and react to it. The building is surrounded with old and new security cameras which gives the place a sense of importance and security, the modern cameras show that people could

potentially of tried to get inside so this disheartens people from attempting to break in, this intreagues me even further on knowing what could be within. It states that he building is derelict as there is no access to the inside, members of the public have taken

advantage of this and used it as promotional space which works for them because it’s placed in a busy street on a building that draws plenty of attention, even though the buildings interior is no longer in use, the exterior still has a purpose for a small margin of people.

This simple image was created in Photoshop. I looked closely at the images I

captured so I could create something accurate which I can refer back to and

understand which part of the building I have focused on. I thought about the lines seen in the central third of the building, a lot of the construction is line heavy, the image here

does the building no justice as there is very little detail. I have a key interest in the design surrounding the door, the entire

doorway is blocked off to the public, it is not visible or accessible which fascinates me

further because the entrance to a building is key. Its been used by every single visitor to the building, be that for the theatre, bingo or

nightclub, the entrance has seen generations of people come and go for a

reason that suits there personal preferences. Research has shown me that

the door is not as extravagant as I hoped for, the décor surrounding it has a lot more

going for it. Research has also shown me that the entrance has five steps leading to it,

this elevation is accessible by most audience members while giving people a

minor sensation of importance because they are walking up into something.

Central Library The Victorian theatre was opened in 1845 and was active as a theatre for 76 years (1845-1921). The reason for closure was due to

the rapid rate of growing competition within Manchester, Palace Theatre and Opera House grew in popularity which put Theatre Royal out of business. The building is the oldest surviving theatre in Manchester. John Gould Irwin & Francis Chester worked on the

architecture for the opening but the building was later alternated by Edward Salomon in 1871. Prior, Manchester was home to two Theatre Royals before this building, John Knowles was a respected theatre manager of the second Theatre Royal which burned down

in a fire; Knowles and Chester visited London in search of architectural inspiration before planning this building. The theatre held a capacity of 2,500 audience members and cost just over £23,000 to construct, a tank filled with 20,000 gallons of water was installed in

the roof as a fire precaution. In 1972 the unused theatre became a bingo hall for a short period of time until lighting bridges and rigs were installed to accommodate the new use which was a nightclub.

The building has been unoccupied since 2012 but several proposals have been made to the council in hope of restoring the theatre and bringing the building back into public use. The Theatres Trust have stated that converions made for other purposes has obscured

the theatre rather than destroyed its assets. The Trust classified that the original interior is “restorable as a theatre”.

The three story building was constructed in sandstone ashlar, sandstone was a popular construction material due to its tolerance for the weather. The building has a Neoclassical style which began in the 18 th century, this style emphasizes the wall, giving is further

detail. Between the second and third story there is a cornice which is used to decorate the building and almost give it a crown, including this in the architecture gives the exterior a royal, superior appearance which has the ability to make the building appear

intimidating. The theatre was dedicated to Shakespeare so Knowles placed a statue of the iconic playwright central of the entrance, the Carrera marble statue then became Manchester’s finest statue for a short period of time, the statue sits within a pedimented niche

which draws attention to the central alignment and gives the statue further purpose and publicity.

This building caught my interest because of the previous uses still being visible to the public. The theatre sign still remains proudly at the top of the building and the coliseum nightclub signs hang on the sides of the building. The boards installed at the front are not

particularly design features but the change the way the public view the building and react to it. The building is surrounded with old and new security cameras which gives the place a sense of importance and security, the modern cameras show that people could

potentially of tried to get inside so this disheartens people from attempting to break in, this intreagues me even further on knowing what could be within. It states that he building is derelict as there is no access to the inside, members of the public have taken

advantage of this and used it as promotional space which works for them because it’s placed in a busy street on a building that draws plenty of attention, even though the buildings interior is no longer in use, the exterior still has a purpose for a small margin of people.