Stockton’s Grade II listed Art Deco Globe Theatre has been awarded £4.5 million in National Lottery funding.
The long awaited refurbishment of Stockton’s Globe Theatre has been secured with the final £4.5 million funding gap coming from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The £15 million refurbishment of the derelict ‘super theatre’ is predominately funded by Stockton Council (£10.5million).
Once refurbished the ‘super theatre’ will be managed by leading West End theatre group Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) and play host to live music and comedy with venue capacity for 3,000 people.
The local council anticipates the restored theatre will contribute £18m annually to the local economy and create more than 250 jobs.
Leader of Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, Councillor Bob Cook, said: “A project of this scale and nature requires substantial investment to attract world class operators and to be feasible outside of London so we are hugely grateful of the funding from the National Lottery.
Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of HLF, said: “In almost every town and city there is at least one historic building, like the Globe, standing empty that at one time was at the heart of the local community. Whilst much-loved, these buildings present huge financial challenges. Heritage Enterprise is using money raised through the sale of National Lottery tickets to unlock the potential of the Globe.”
In its hey-day the premier venue played host to the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Cliff Richard and the Shadows and Buddy Holly however since closing in 1997 it has suffered significant deterioration.
The Heritage Lottery Fund awards grants to historic buildings where the cost of repair or redevelopment would be commercially unviable, but provide a significant positive impact on local communities.
