Eden Court Theatre, Bishop's Road, Inverness

Eden Court Theatre, Bishop's Road, Inverness

A visually striking theatre complex built between 1973 and 1976, designed by architect Graham Law of Law & Dunbar-Nasmith with theatre consultant John Wyckham. The main contractors were Crudens Ltd. The building has been substantially developed since: a scene dock addition was designed by Hector Macdonald Associates in 1981, the auditorium was refurbished in the 1990s by Law & Dunbar-Nasmith, and the theatre was redeveloped and expanded by Page\Park Architects in 2007.

The theatre is linked to the pre-existing 19th century Bishop's Palace to the north. Its distinctive three-tiered form steps back towards the riverfront, creating a complex series of internal and external spaces.

The bottom tier houses the largest main foyer, restaurant and bar, expressed as six hexagonal glazed projections with slated hexagonal pitched roofs. The second tier, containing smaller first, second and upper circle foyers, consists of six projecting glass walls with pitched slate roofs. Within these glass walls, foyers and staircases are suspended from a cantilevered plant room above, creating arresting internal spaces with dramatic views of the River Ness. The third tier, which encloses the upper part of the horseshoe-shaped auditorium, rises dramatically above the slated roofs and contrasts markedly with the lower tiers by being steel clad with minimal glazing except for small windows lighting the upper circle foyer.

Escape stairs and toilet towers to the north and south are constructed of flint-aggregate blocks with small paired windows to each floor and full-height narrow glazed strips. These link the front-of-house areas to a faceted fly tower to the west, clad in the same material and broken only by the scene-dock door and 1980s scene dock. The theatre entrance is positioned to the south with a paved area that continues inside. A small free-standing hexagonal-plan generator shed stands to the southwest of the theatre.

The foyer wraps around the lower level of the auditorium below the suspended cantilever (partly supported on plain white columns) to create a paved internal street. The ticket office is sited opposite the entrance doors, with cloakroom and toilets to the left and restaurant and bar to the right within the hexagonal pavilions. To the north, the foyer space breaks out into a further hexagonal pavilion containing the main stair. Concrete stairs with glazed panels and plain timber handrail wrap around the foyer edge at angles and lead to three upper foyers, creating an open space with internal balconies. The hexagonal pattern is repeated in the upper foyer timber-clad ceiling and in the ground floor brickwork. Pyramidal and pitched roofs are timber clad internally, providing warmth and texture, with additional bars and seating integrated into these spaces. Clustered glass bauble lighting and bench seats complete the foyer design.

The auditorium is a proscenium theatre with a thrust stage and orchestra pit. It has a horseshoe plan with over 800 seats, incorporating a cantilevered circle and upper circle. Three tiers of boxes (two rows deep) at stalls, dress circle and upper circle enclose all three walls and abut the stage. A splayed fire curtain is advanced to the orchestra rail. The ceiling is a large, up-lit, recessed hexagonal-plan feature painted white with a lighting gallery. The auditorium detailing is simple, with plain white boxes supported on white columns and blue upholstery to seats and walls. Timber doors are used throughout. The scene dock is located to the south.

A Corten steel sculpture representing Ben Wyvis viewed from Tarvie, Ross-shire, was commissioned by the Scottish Arts Council in 1977 and created by sculptor Gavin Scobie. As of 2003, it was sited on the lawn to the east of Eden Court, near Ness Walk.