Royal Shakespeare Theatre - Bancroft Gardens, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK



In January 2013 when this image was taken, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre appears to be a modern building and, indeed, it has recently undergone a major restructuring.  However, I have included it here, in the 1930s, because that is when the building was originally constructed.



Above the Royal Shakespeare Theatre prior to 2007 - Below the RSC in 2013




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Above the view taken prior to 2007 - Below 2013



Architect
 Elizabeth Scott
Date Built
 Opened on 23 April 1932
Location
 Adjacent to Bancroft Gardens beside the River Avon
Description
The Royal Shakespeare theatre was designed by Elizabeth Scott,  the great-niece of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the architect of such industrial buildings as Battersey Power Station and Bankside Power Station, now the Tate Modern.  It is perhaps understandable that I once heard the RSC described as looking like a power station.  However, it is important to note that the RSC was the first public building in the UK to have been designed by a female architect.

When it was built the RSC sat beside the Avon between the Victorian Swan Theatre and Bancroft Gardens.  It was a proscenium Arch Theatre with many beautiful Art Deco features.  It accommodated 1,400 people in a tiered arrangement of stalls, circle and balcony seats.  It was a Grade II listed building when in 2007 it closed for the last time to undergo a four year reconstruction that saw the proscenium arch theatre demolished and rebuilt as a thrust stage.  A new restaurant was added on the roof and a viewing tower added on the " Waterside" end of the building.  Inside is a 1000 seat auditorium in which no one is more than 15 metres away from the stage.  The project, designed by the architectural practice of Bennetts Associates, cost £112 million.

Bennetts say of the project that, "The transformation of the Grade II* listed home of Shakespearean theatre was won through an international competition and opened in November 2010. At its heart, a new 1000-seat thrust-stage auditorium has revolutionised the way audiences experience live theatre. Its public spaces are accessible and welcoming, and its relationship with the town of Stratford-upon-Avon has been reinvigorated by the creation of the tower, new external spaces and routes."













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Below are some views of the building during the reconstruction.



Above: before the roof came off - Below: after the roof was removed




Below: propping up the walls that were to be kept.



Below: The reconstruction underway.












Some of the original features have been retained.


















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