Theatre Royal Margate
How Theatres Trust's support is helping a local authority revive a significant historic theatre
Built in 1787, Grade II* listed Theatre Royal Margate is one of the oldest theatres in the UK still in theatre use. It was remodelled by J T Robinson in 1874 and is the only remaining theatre with his design intact. It was the home of England’s first acting school, Sarah Thorne’s School of Acting, making this a building of great architectural and cultural significance.
Theatre Royal Margate has been on the Theatres at Risk Register since 2018 following a variety of issues with operators and the need for investment in the theatre. Theatres Trust has been working closely with the theatre’s owner, Thanet District Council, to explore ways to make the theatre operation self-sustaining and support fundraising to restore and reopen the theatre. While Margate has undergone significant regeneration and has a strong reputation for the visual arts, there is limited performing arts provision locally, so there is a real need for the Theatre Royal to be returned to use.
Theatres Trust was part of the steering group that advised Thanet District Council on the economic and business case for including the Theatre Royal in the council’s successful bid to the government’s Towns Fund Scheme. An initial allocation of £2.2m enabled urgent works to be carried out and a project manager recruited, with the council subsequently investing a further £2.8m from this fund in the theatre.
In 2023, we awarded Thanet District Council a grant from our Resilient Theatres: Resilient Communities programme to undertake a statement of heritage significance for the theatre and carry out further community consultation and market testing to support future funding bids. A design team was then appointed to undertake the architectural and technical design to support the council’s vision while remaining sympathetic to the historic significance of the theatre, with the heritage statement being crucial to this work. We gave the council another grant in 2025 for a specialist condition survey for the delicate ceiling plasterwork in the auditorium.
Theatres Trust has continued to engage with the council and its design team throughout the process, including providing pre-app advice for the proposals. The scheme was submitted for planning and listed building consent in April 2026, which we supported and we were delighted when these received approval in July.
The council hopes to engage an operator before the end of 2026 to plan for the theatre's expected reopening in 2027. It is heartening to see such fantastic progress at the Theatre Royal. Theatres Trust will continue to support the council in its ambition to fully reopen this significant theatre.
This case study was produced as part of our Fifty@50 campaign to mark our 50th anniversary in 2026.
Photo credit: Ian Grundy