A Cultural Comeback: Brighton Hippodrome

There is no doubt Brighton boasts some famous and unmissable attractions: the Palace Pier, the Royal Pavilion, even now, for better or worse, the i360. But many are surprised to hear of a certain landmark, a venue, after so long in the spotlight, eventually left to fall into wrack and ruin. A previous social epicentre that once contributed so significantly to the bustle and hubbub of the vibrant Brighton scene, that still stands over a century later right beneath our noses: Brighton Hippodrome. 

 Since first stumbling upon it mentioned in a guide-to-Brighton handbook, I’ve taken a certain fascination with the currently derelict building, unable to resist bombarding my friends with its history and its - hopefully - glamorous future each time we pass on our way to and from Hop Poles - sometimes to their surprise and interest (a step back, a glance up, the odd question or two), sometimes to their drunken dismissal.

The Hippodrome in hibernation, faded and graffitied. Image source: Gregg Gorman

Nestled quietly in the centre of Middle Street, the building sits grand and stately in plain view: solemnly quiet, boarded up windows, graffiti-covered panels, yes - though still it seems an odd trick of the mind that such a historic, massive building might go entirely unnoticed; not even peered up at by inquisitive day-visitors who ask ‘what did this place once used to be?’ 

 Is it that those making their way down this particular street are distracted by the sight of the sea at the end of it? Or instead because these days as city pedestrians we are often too absorbed in phone screens, or looking down at our feet rather than up and about at what is going on around us? Perhaps, in actuality, it is not our inattentiveness, but rather because, over the years, this old building has fallen into such disrepair, fallen so deep into its slumber, that it no longer demands notice; no one bothers anymore to look higher than the dirty old metal grates blocking the entrances to find that, stepping back from the pavement, an enormous original piece of signage spells out Hippodrome in big letters across a fading facade. 

But it is the twenty-first century now: buildings that once meant so much to a city are no longer demolished so thoughtlessly. Therefore, should you be the sort to feel somewhat sentimental about old, forgotten buildings of importance, there is no need to worry for the Hippodrome: this particular significant building is not destined to be destroyed, nor converted into a carpark or block of flats. Nor will it remain abandoned and decaying for much longer. But first, before the glimmer of hope for its prosperous future and reintroduction into the Brighton scene, a brief history.

Before it was officially The Hippodrome, the building, constructed in 1897, was an ice skating rink. Established on Middle Street for its centrality (at the time lined with houses, both big and small, inns, the oldest school in Brighton, and even a synagogue), there was hope that The Real Ice Skating Rink would be a success: as it turned out there was not much of an interest for ice skating amongst Brightonians and the venue closed down, leaving behind a structure whose facade was too magnificent, its potential too great, to not be reinvented time and again for almost a century afterwards. 

Passed into the trusted hands of a prolific theatre architect, Frank Matcham, the interior was enlarged and converted into a circus, with a stage framed by a proscenium arch and animal entrances hidden by curtains. This attempt at reinvention also proved a failure and the circus closed the following year, the architectural baton passed to Bertie Crewe, one of Matcham’s own students, and the place was once again transformed in 1902: this time into a variety theatre. The circus pit was replaced with seating, the stage enlarged, and the highly ornamental, flamboyant ceiling installed, to which the space owes much of its sense of opulence, and which has survived, thankfully, until this day. 

The inside of the Hippodrome. Image source: Brighton Hippodrome

Reintroduced into the Brighton scene, the Hippodrome finally passed muster, becoming one of Brighton’s most important variety theatres, hosting a wide variety of influential guests, some of whose names stunned me when I heard about them: the likes of Harry Houdini, Sammy David Jr, and even bands as big as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones graced the illuminated stage. In 1919, owing to its growing success, the interior was once again enlarged, the lower floors of the house on the north side of the building (known as Hippodrome House) were converted into a Palm Court where guests could enjoy tea and dances. Said to have had a capacity for approximately 3'000 people, it was once known to have hosted up to 4'500. Unfortunately, though at one time a great success, and an extremely significant cultural centre of not only East Sussex but the wider U.K., its prosperity was not infinite and it closed once again, due to a drastic post-WW2 decline in interest in variety shows, in 1964.

 After over half a decade of success and popularity, it never again quite regained its status, being converted into a short-lived television and film studio, and subsequently, in 1967, into a bingo hall, which it remained until its final, longest-lasting closure in 2006. 

Hippodrome Bingo Hall; Image source: Brighton Hippodrome

 

But today, after two decades, the tune has changed: we no longer have to only speak of what it once was; we can now speak of what it will be again. Though it’s been a while since the place has been adopted, or even recognised for its value, its permanence and its safety from potential demolition we must owe to its being officially listed, in 1985, as a Grade II building: one of ‘significant architectural and historic importance’. Listed on the Historic England and Theatre Trust register as ‘at risk’, it was recognised, despite its faltering success, for its cultural significance and magnificent construction, rescuing it from a potentially tragic fate. There is no present fear that, despite its current state of disrepair and abandonment, it will be knocked down, sold off to be heavily modernised, downsized, converted or de-domed.

And, considering most Brighton civilians and passers-by are not even aware of its presence on Middle Street, it is just as likely unknown that the site has in fact been acquired once again: since September 2020 the Hippodrome has been under the ownership of Matsim Properties (the same family firm that are responsible for the current refurbishment of Pryzm) who have already spent several million pounds renovating and water-proofing the roof and who intend to do much more. The entire renovation is predicted to cost upwards of £25 million and is set to be finished and ready to reopen by 2027 (though that estimated date has already been pushed back once or twice, understandably). The new site is proposed to be operated by Academy Music Group - one of the biggest music venue operators in the UK, meaning that once again impressive, well-attended shows will return to the auditorium beneath that mighty dome. 

An Open Day at Brighton Hippodrome before construction began.

Image source: Save Our Hippodrome, Facebook

But what does this mean for Brighton? What sort of success can we expect for a venue with such a rich, yet mercurial history? These are really the sort of questions that only time can answer: there is no efficient way of predicting how the people of Brighton will take to a new (or old, but re-introduced) attraction that seeks to insert itself into the well established cultural framework that makes Brighton the place it is not only to the locals, but to millions of annual tourists too. Will the Hippodrome return with a great flash and bang, a grand opening, flinging its doors wide to an empty Middle Street; or will it be the very thing Brighton has been missing: an enormous entertainment venue, big names crossing the stage, visitors flying in and out every night, a welcome reinvigoration to central Brighton, its reinsertion into its previous role as a thriving place-to-be? 

 Middle Street would of course reap the benefits of such a successful addition; the Hippodrome’s luxury and glamour will wash up and down the entire lane; Hop Poles, Casablanca, The Fiddler’s Elbow will reach new levels of popularity, and the South Lanes of Brighton will have yet another branch that people make their way down with intention, with eyes cast up not down, rather than the random detour to the sea, the accidental side road that it functions as currently. 

The Hippodrome, it seems, stands as a very symbolic structure of Brighton: a place of significant history; a venue that stood proud and central, once so regal, so monumental and adored, yet now almost entirely ignored by the Brighton public. If such a place once existed, once meant so much to the town, but is now so irrelevant to us, what else are we missing, what else has been long forgotten when it ought not to have been? The Hippodrome will return; the Brighton scene will adjust and mould around the ripple it makes, and it will be a reminder to us all: what once was magnificent can and will be again.

References

See a video tour of the inside at Brighton Hippodrome

Facebook Group: Save Our Hippodrome