ABBA started their world career in the Brighton Dome. After extensive refurbishment, more can now follow.

Set in historic Regency gardens and adjoi­ning the famous Royal Pavi­lion, Brighton’s Grade 1 listed Corn Exch­ange and Grade 2 listed Studio Theatre have been refur­bished by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios for a 21st century audi­ence.

The circa £38m project makes major tech­nical and opera­tional impro­ve­ments to the venues. The project unites restores and upgrades four exis­ting buil­dings: the Corn Exch­ange, Studio Theatre, 29 New Road and the Church Street entrance, while a new link buil­ding captures a former cour­tyard space, provi­ding a foyer and public and support faci­li­ties.

Essen­tial conser­va­tion work to the listed buil­dings peels back the layers to restore hidden spaces and reveal them to the public. The brand-new foyer, top lit bar and gallery space, and a restau­rant that opens out onto New Road improve the visitor expe­ri­ence and new toilets and circu­la­tion provide better faci­li­ties and acces­si­bi­lity for visi­tors, perfor­mers and artists.

Brighton Dome’s remo­delled buil­dings give it much-needed flexi­bi­lity in terms of layout, seating, infra­struc­ture and acces­si­bi­lity – allo­wing a wider range of artists and perfor­mers to come to Brighton. A new crea­tive space — called Anita’s Room — is also available for artists and commu­nity groups to use for work­shops, meetings and rehear­sals.

Brighton Dome’s Concert Hall and Corn Exch­ange were the first Regency buil­dings in Brighton, heral­ding a new era for the town. From riding stables for a Prince, to a place of protest for Suffra­gettes, to a tempo­rary hospital in World War I, to the stage that laun­ched ABBA to global fame, Brighton Dome has had many lives. It is now the South coast’s leading multi-arts venue, committed to driving a thri­ving crea­tive culture across the region.

The Corn Exch­ange was pionee­ring archi­tec­ture from the outset. A column free timber struc­ture, it measures 54m x 18m x 10m and can accom­mo­date 505 seated (max. capa­city) and 1291 stan­ding (max. capa­city) inclu­ding perfor­mers and staff.

Working with theatre experts and skilled craft­speople, the ceilings have been removed to reveal the original timber roof struc­ture, and the original character of the buil­ding restored. Windows along the west side have been opened up, and their original deco­ra­tive timber linings reve­aled and restored using specia­list craft skills and work­man­ship, conser­ving the character of the remar­kable 1806 inte­rior. 

 The better equipped Corn Exch­ange can now host a diverse range of uses, from dance and music perfor­mances to banque­ting, exhi­bi­tions, meetings, gradua­tion cere­mo­nies and cele­bra­tions. New inter­ven­tions include new sub-floor storage, suspended rigging, a new north-end balcony which conceals a 232 seat retrac­table blea­cher seating unit and an enti­rely new venti­la­tion system using heat-exch­ange tech­no­logy that opti­mises the re-use of energy within the venue.