Esplanade Pavilion

• Theatre ID
  1186
• Built / Converted
  1926
• Dates of use
  • 1926 - 1990
• Current state
  Extant
• Current use
  converted to other use (entrance to bowling alley)
• Address
  Esplanade, Ryde, Isle of Wight, England

Details

The Pavilion is an ornate cast-iron seaside building on the Eastern Esplanade, built in the Chinese manner. It was the work of Walter MacFarlane of Glasgow, from the same mould as its twin, the Pavilion in Rothesay, Isle of Bute, built two years earlier. It entertained concert parties and a variety of summer and winter entertainment for many years. After the fire at the Theatre Royal, it was the town’s only theatre. It was on one level with a platform stage. A proscenium was installed later. There was no fly tower. In 1991, a bitter local battle developed when it was proposed to demolish the Pavilion. The shell was saved when a bowling alley was built on the seaward side to which the Pavilion itself was coupled, forming an entrance and refreshment area. This development subsidised the restoration of the pleasing exterior. The Ryde Theatre now serves the town, but the Pavilion could have been restored and used for summer entertainment; a possibility which, perhaps, should still be kept in view.

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• Events
  • 1926 - 1990 Use:
  • 1926 Design/Construction: iron founder (Glasgow)
    • Walter MacFarlane - Architect
  • 1926 Owner/Management: Borough of Ryde, owners
• Capacities
  • Later: 1945: 498 1971: 450
• Listings
  • Grade II
• Stage type
  • 1971: Pros flat
• Dimensions
  • Stage dimensions: Depth 1945: 19ft 8in 1971: 5.79m Width 1945: 34ft 1971: 20.72m
  • Proscenium width: 1971: 7.32m
  • Height to grid: 1971: 3.96