Tivoli Theatre, 34-48 Guild Street, Aberdeen

The Tivoli Theatre, located at 34-48 Guild Street in Aberdeen, is an impressive building designed by C J Phipps of London and James Mathews in 1872, with later alterations by Frank Matcham in 1909. This three-storey, seven-bay theatre features a striking Venetian Gothic entrance on the south side, characterized by its polychromatic round-arched design. To the left, there is a lower single bay gabled section. The entrance elevation is constructed from grey and pink granite, while the rear showcases an early use of concrete. The ground floor has timber and glass two-leaf swing doors at each bay, with seven doors on the right side, separated by engaged polished pink granite columns. The windows are adorned with round arches and alternate vertical bands of red and grey stonework, complemented by a band course and cill course, and deep bracketed eaves. The theatre predominantly features timber plate glass sash and case windows, brick gable stacks, and a grey slate roof.

Inside, the theatre boasts an outstanding and largely unaltered original Edwardian Baroque decorative scheme, along with original stage machinery. The small Front of House area includes timber and glass box office windows. The auditorium is curved with a steeply raked circle and upper circle, supported by cast iron columns. Decorative cartouches and festoons enhance the interior, while the circular ceiling features four painted panels and a dentilled cornice. The rectangular proscenium is flanked by slender columns with scroll brackets, and there are boxes on either side of the stage with recessed shell alcoves above. The theatre retains original riggings and fly-loft machinery, as well as some original timber panelling and cornicing in the dressing rooms.