Amulet Theatre

Significance

The Amulet was built in the early 1970s, opening in 1975. Originally known as The Centre, it was re-named in the 1990s following the discovery of a Roman amulet in excavations nearby. A philanthropic gift from the Showering family, local brewers famed for Babycham, the theatre was part of a major redevelopment of Shepton Mallet funded by the family and was intended to provide a cultural and creative legacy.

Architecturally it is Brutalist in style (unusual for this area), flanked by a block of offices and retail units along Market Square that were part of the same development. The theatre is located at first-floor level and features a fly tower and a large foyer. It was built with the best theatre technology of the time and designed to be flexible. Significantly, it includes what is believed to be the UK’s last remaining example of a motorised ceiling carrying seats, which descends to convert the flat floor of the theatre into a space with raked seating.

The Amulet hosted theatre, live music and film screenings and, as the only theatre in the town and with limited provision in the wider area, it became an important venue in this part of Somerset.

Why is this theatre at risk?

The Amulet was added to the Theatres at Risk Register in 2022.

The Amulet was acquired by the Bristol Academy of Performing Arts (BAPA) in the mid-2000s, who refurbished the building, using it as an education and training centre known as the Academy, with a full programme of public theatre and performance use in the evenings. BAPA went into administration in 2011, and the Amulet was acquired by a private owner and has been closed as a theatre since. The auditorium has been in use as a gym, but there is no record of planning permission having been obtained for this use.

In 2020 and 2021, the owner of the Amulet submitted planning applications to convert the building into apartments with a portion of the ground floor converted into a retail unit. Theatres Trust submitted strong objections to the plans, citing a lack of evidence that the theatre is surplus to requirements and therefore the proposals conflict with local and national planning policy. We also expressed concern that there is a lack of clarity regarding the extent of the building to which the proposed change of use applies and that this could unwittingly cause the loss of the building’s protected theatre status. If the plans went ahead, it would see irreversible alteration that would result in the permanent loss of this theatre as an asset for the town and its people. It would also see a private individual profiting from what was a gift to the people of Shepton Mallet.

There was a significant delay in determining the planning applications due to a halt to decisions on residential developments in the area, with it finally being refused in August 2025 (see further details below).

Theatre potential

Although the theatre has been used as a gym, it is thought that it remains substantially complete and that it could be quite easily reverted to live performance use, or used for compatible mixed arts, community and cultural use. There is no other provision within Shepton Mallet, little within the wider area, and great interest in the facility amongst local theatre and community groups.

The addition of the building to the Theatres at Risk Register in 2022 resulted in several individuals contacting us to express their interest in using the venue for live performance / entertainment.  In 2023 a local campaign group, Let’s Buy the Amulet, was formed. Comprising of local residents and arts group leaders, it has launched a bid to buy the Amulet Theatre.

Let’s Buy the Amulet undertook a community consultation to gauge local interest in, and support for, the theatre. The survey was overwhelmingly positive, with strong support for the Amulet to be restored as a community centre, which would also host theatre, cinema, and live music, alongside arts workshops and community events. The success of a series of pop-up events in the building over the summer of 2025 provides further evidence of this support.

The campaign group is now moving forward with fundraising initiatives with the aim to purchase, restore and revive this key cultural venue. It is hoped a rejuvenated Amulet will also serve as a catalyst to support the regeneration of the town centre and high street.

Current situation

Let’s Buy the Amulet has made progress in developing the business case for the future use of the building and exploring funding options that will enable them to purchase the building. This has included securing a £10,000 grant through the Architectural Heritage Fund to develop a viability study and £10,000 from the Community Shares Booster Fund for support in setting up a community business model, including legal registration and launching a community share offer. We awarded a grant of £6,000 through our Resilient Theatres: Resilient Communities grants programme to increase the scope of the viability work that was being undertaken to enable the group to have a more comprehensive plan that would appeal to funders.

The Let’s Buy the Amulet proposal also gained support from Somerset County Council, who put forward the theatre proposal as part of a wider bid for Levelling Up Funding. The change of government in July 2024 meant that this funding option did not progress, but the preparatory work done by the group for this funding bid has created a solid foundation for them to pursue other sources of funding.

In 2025, we awarded a Resilient Theatres: Resilient Communities grant to The Amulet Centre Limited for compliance and planning works including plans and specifications for building control, fire risk assessment and emergency exit specifications. This work enabled the group to host pop-up activities over the summer of 2025, in a temporary auditorium on the ground floor of building. This is an important step in engaging with the public and showing the Amulet’s potential.

The community share offer achieved its minimum fundraising target before it closed in October 2025 with further fundraising needed to pay the purchase price required by the owner. The campaign received another boost in 2025 when Cambridge Arts Theatre donated 400 seats to the Amulet project, which will be kept in storage until the Amulet is able to reopen.

Somerset Council refused the planning application to convert the Amulet Theatre into residential apartments in August 2025. The owner subsequently submitted a planning appeal. Theatres Trust submitted evidence supporting Somerset Council’s decision. We welcomed the news in June 2026 that the Planning Inspectorate had dismissed the appeal, agreeing with our assessment.

In the meantime, the owner also submitted an application for a Lawful Development Certificate on the basis that the gym has been operating continuously in excess of ten years meaning it is exempt from enforcement action and that it would automatically be in lawful ‘Class E’ commercial use. That would mean it could then be converted to residential use under ‘permitted development’ rights, in other words not requiring planning permission. The Lawful Development Certificate was similarly refused, with the owner having submitted evidence which undermined their own case because it showed continuous use had not in fact occurred.

Theatres Trust will continue to advise and work with the owner, community group and council to see the Amulet brought back into cultural use.

Photo of the Amulet by Karen Mercer.