Morecambe Winter Gardens

How Theatres Trust's support is helping return a historic theatre to its former glory

Morecambe Winter Gardens is a rare survival and thought to be one of the last of its kind. The Grade II* listed building was built in 1897 as a big concert party hall and features a spectacular tunnel vaulted ceiling designed by architects Mangnall & Littlewood.

When the theatre closed its doors in 1977 the building’s condition significantly deteriorated. Efforts to restore the theatre have been underway since the 1980s but it wasn’t until 2006 when the group that had been campaigning for its preservation was able to purchase the building. In this same year we added Morecambe Winter Gardens to our first ever Theatres at Risk Register.

Since then, we have supported the efforts of the theatre’s owner, Morecambe Winter Gardens Preservation Trust Ltd (MWGPT), to restore Morecambe Winter Gardens to its former glory. In 2019, a grant from our Theatres at Risk Capacity Building Programme funded a governance review and business planning support, which enabled MWGPT to present itself as a credible organisation to potential funders.

Since this, MWGPT has been able to unlock more than £5m in funding from sources including Arts Council England’s Cultural Development Fund, the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Historic England, Architectural Heritage Fund and Pilgrim Trust.

We have continued to support MWGPT by giving guidance on planning applications, supporting funding bids, and providing project mentorship. In 2025 we were delighted to be able to support these efforts further by awarding the group £8k in funding through our Resilient Theatres: Resilient Communities Programme to develop an accessibility strategy as part of a wider scheme of capital development works.

The fantastic work achieved to date has meant the theatre can now present a mixed programme of entertainment from the ground floor and we continue to provide our support as work progresses to restore and reopen the upper levels.

We are very pleased to see progress on returning this much-loved landmark building to full theatre use and will continue to support MWGPT in its efforts.

This case study was produced as part of our Fifty@50 campaign to mark our 50th anniversary in 2026.