Hope for theatre still 'at risk' after 10 years

A theatre based in a former 19th Century courthouse remains on a register for venues at risk of closure for a 10th year, despite plans to renovate it.

Spilsby Sessions House was added to the Theatres Trust Theatre's at Risk register in 2015 because its ceiling had become unsafe and was on the brink of collapse.

A charity of the same name as the theatre, which owns the Grade II-listed venue, was given £5m of levelling up funding in 2023 to bring it back to life.

Trustee Bruce Knight said they were in the process of applying for planning permission for the renovation and was hoping it would reopen again in 2026.

Theatres Trust, the charity that campaigns to protect UK theatres, said the register "highlights theatres under threat of closure, redevelopment or severe decay, but which all have the potential to be revived for their local communities with the right support".

Mr Knight said he remained hopeful the doors would reopen next year but admitted there was a "lot of work to do between now and then".

"There's a tight timeframe that we're working with but it's ambitious, it's exciting, so watch this space," he added.

"I hope the theatre will be taken off the list when performances are able to begin again in the building.

"We have to make sure communities have access to arts and culture, the list highlights the need for that."

The theatre was renamed Spilsby Sessions House to acknowledge its original purpose as a jail, built in 1827.

It was turned into a theatre in 1984.

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