History of the Morecambe Winter Gardens
The Winter Gardens Morecambe opened in 1897 as the Victoria Pavilion Concert Hall and Variety Theatre. This was an extension to the existing Winter Gardens Complex which opened in 1878. Over the years the 2,500 capacity venue has hosted the stars of popular music and variety theatre.
With its lavish interiors and striking architectural features, the Winter Gardens was known as the Albert Hall of the North. Unfortunately, in 1977 the decision was taken to close the whole complex, culminating with the demolition of the original Winter Gardens Complex in 1982. This just left the Theatre remaining, although in a perilous position.
However, a group of dedicated people formed the ‘Friends of the Winter Gardens’ and have worked together to reopen the building. With the formation of the ‘Preservation Trust’ in 2006, ownership of the Winter Gardens was transferred to the charitable body who have spent years cleaning, restoring and fundraising. Now the Preservation Trust with the help of volunteers and the Friends of the Winter Gardens are a step closer to finally restoring this remarkable Grade II listed building.
Development of the Concert Hall
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has announced the winners of its latest round of Cultural Development Fund awards. Morecambe Winter Gardens has secured £2.7m for the continued renovation of the concert hall.
The funding will support the Morecambe Winter Gardens Preservation Trust to work on building a two-storey extension with toilets, accessible lifts and a fire escape. The building’s old electrical system will be rewired, with AV and lighting equipment added. The funds will also go towards an acoustic shell for the building’s fly-tower. The end goal is for Morecambe Winter Gardens to become a 1,600-capacity music venue within three years.
Buttress was appointed by the Morecambe Winter Gardens Preservation Trust, to carry out the feasibility study, provide heritage consultancy advice as well as supporting the trust with the funding application.
BIM Model & Survey of 'The Winter Gardens'
Buttress requested a BIM Model and Pointcloud survey from Site Surveying Services in order to remotely view the project. We spent roughly a week on site with the drone and RTC 360 Laser Scanner. Then we created the incredible BIM Models which can be viewed above.
‘CLICK‘ and ‘DRAG‘ to ‘Rotate‘ image.
Hold ‘SHIFT‘, ‘CLICK‘ and ‘DRAG‘ to ‘PAN’ image.
Further Details About The Project
A comprehensive website with further details about the project is available here.
Witnessing the rejuvenation of historical buildings such as this is fantastic. It’s also a pleasure to continue our working relationship with Buttress and deliver this high quality BIM Model.
