The Victoria Theatre

The Victoria Theatre is a concert hall and theatre, originally built in the late 19th century, specifically designed in 1897 by W Clement Williams for the Halifax Concert Hall & Public Rooms Co Ltd. The foundation stone was laid in May 1899, and the theatre opened in February 1901 with a concert by the Halle Orchestra. It was restored and converted in 1962-66.

The building is constructed of coursed squared stone with ashlar dressings and a Welsh slate roof, in a Baroque Revival style. The exterior features a two-storey, eight-by-five bay design with a curved corner of nine bays. The entrance, facing southeast, has a slate-covered awning over three sets of glass doors, with Ionic pilasters defining the bays, one housing the box office and the other a separate shop. A deep entablature supports the first floor, featuring Ionic half columns and a wide central window flanked by arched niches containing statues. Other bays have single windows with transoms. An eaves cornice and roof balustrade with urn finials are present. Flanking this section are three-stage towers with pedimented windows in architraves, corniced blind top sections, corner pinnacles, and colonnaded lanterns with oeil-de-boeuf and scroll brackets to the top frieze. The long front to Commercial Street is characterized by pilasters, an entablature, plate glass shop windows, and pedimented sash windows above with richly carved lintel bands. Paired lights are found in the pedimented end bays. The building features rich carving in the pediments and an impost band with carved names of composers including Bishop, Wallace, Arne, Purcell, Balfe, Bennett, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, and Mendelssohn. The roof has a conical section over the entrance with cast-iron cresting surrounding a tall arcaded lantern with an ogee roof and spike finial, high domes over the flanking towers, and hipped roofs over the ends of the Commercial Street front, linked by a ridge with a balustraded parapet.

The interior boasts rich decoration, notably in the foyer and stairwell. Corinthian jewelled columns support the imperial stairs with cast-iron curved flowering stems for balustrades, and a polished wood handrail. The foyer walls are panelled with pilasters and moulded decoration above the doors. A deeply coved stair light is filled with intensely coloured painted glass, featuring swags and bows framing a central ‘VR’ motif. A bust of Queen Victoria sits on a pedestal on the stair landing. The auditorium is column-free, with cantilevered balconies having bombe fronts. It includes a moulded proscenium arch and a coved, panelled ceiling.