The Hippodrome, Hope Street, Bo'Ness

The Hippodrome, located on Hope Street, Bo’ness, was designed by Matthew Steele and built in 1911. The roof was rebuilt in 1926, and a ticket office was added by John Taylor in 1936. It is an early example of the Modern Movement, constructed as a two-stage circular hippodrome with a basement and featuring a shallow, domed roof and flanking pavilions that are single, two, and three stories high. The auditorium is faced in harl over stone, while the pavilions are brick with rendered details. A rock-faced rubble base course runs along the bottom, with cill courses and a tall, set-back parapet effect punctuated by prominent clasping blocks.

The northwest (principal) elevation is dominated by the circular auditorium. To either side of the auditorium are two small openings, and a tall, advanced panel, which is blocked at the first stage, features a stepped cornice and two small windows at the second stage. Further cornices and a parapet effect are present, with a shallow, polygonal roof behind. A tall pavilion on the left has a recessed two-leaf, six-panel timber door, another door to the right, and a window beyond. A broad Crittal window is at the first floor, flanked by narrow lights surmounted by a sign reading "HIPPODROME," with a small dome to the left. A further tall pavilion to the right has a single door, and a low projection in the re-entrant angle features a wide, centre, bipartite window and a narrower light.

The northeast (Hamilton Land) elevation showcases a dominant three-story pavilion elevation, housing the projection room, with a variety of openings and a broad, bowed, cantilevered canopy over the ground center and right, rising into bowed first and second floors, with a lower bay to the outer right.

The southeast (rear) elevation has a variety of openings to the circular auditorium at the left and a two-stage advanced panel at the right. A polygonal timber structure on the roof abuts the taller outer right bay.

Most windows are blocked, however, Crittal windows are present in the 1936 ticket office extension, and the northeast elevation features bowed windows. The roof has modern felt-type materials.

The interior has been altered, with a circular auditorium flanked by galleries and a proscenium to the south. A serpentine gallery is supported by cast-iron columns, and the auditorium contains theatre seating and a ribbed ceiling. The walls of the toilets are bordered by ceramic tiles. There are small dressing rooms behind the stage. The foyer has a black and white tiled floor and timber panelling, with a timber-panelled manager’s office. Two early projectors made by Thomas Houston of Rugby, along with associated fittings, are retained in the projection room. Further work was undertaken between 2006 and 2008, including the insertion of facilities beneath the gallery and the reinstatement of a 1920s paint scheme.