Dress circle and pit floor of the Pavilion Theatre, Douglas, Isle of Man
Date(s): 1 November 1897
Creator(s): Rennison, W.J.
Scope & Content: Dress circle plan shows the crush room, seating in the auditorium, governor's box and private box, dressing rooms and bedrooms. The pit floor plan shows the vestibule and pay boxes, seating in the pit, stalls and orchestra stalls, stage boxes, band room, sitting room, kitchen, pantry and yard as well as a 'proposed room under'.
Administration / Biographical History: This theatre was originally built in 1893 to the design of John Rennison (architect of the Sefton Hotel in Douglas) and commissioned by Thomas Lightfoot (originator of the Douglas Horse tramway) and C.F. Maley who owned the plot. It was then known as The Marina. Six months after opening, the consortium was declared bankrupt and it was bought out of auction and renamed The Pavilion. The new owner, Richard Maltby Broadbent, was the entrepreneur of Groudle Glen, the Groudle Glen Railway and later the Douglas Head Incline Railway. Intended to match the theatres and dance halls at popular English tourist resorts the venture was not a success, and The Pavilion closed after just six seasons following which Broadbent sold the land to the Palace and Derby Castle Company Ltd.
In December 1899 construction of the newly named Gaiety Theatre by the Palace and Derby Castle Company Ltd was announced. The owners commissioned renowned theatre architect Frank Matcham to convert the narrow shell of The Pavilion into an opera house and theatre.
Language: eng
Extent: 54.5 x 75.5 cm
Physical description: original
Item name: architectural plan
Collection: Maps & Plans Archive
Level: ITEM
ID number: P.5087/3
Retrieval number: DG 43 L
Record class: Business