Having seen some older reports on this place and being a sucker for old theatres, it’s one that has always been on my list.
Taking the long drive back from work (Bangor to Stockport) I get an email with info that this place is open and doable. I decided to pick @eastyham up and take the 1.5hr trip over to Donny. Ideally I’d of gone during daylight but I didn’t want to miss out on it. So complete darkness it is. Had a bit of bother of some goons who work in the shopping centre but still managed to sneak in another way.
Really enjoyed it in here. The floors are mega dodgy towards the front of the building but it is rather lovely along that side where the old dressing rooms are. I particularly loved the fly loft level with the old painted signs and poster remains.
History
The Doncaster Grand was constructed in 1899 and originally stood on a prominent site in a shopping street facing the main railway station. However, town centre improvements robbed it of any sensible context and it is no longer in a street, but attached rather indirectly to the Frenchgate shopping centre. It still faces the station, however is separated from it by a busy inner ring road which comes so close that it has actually snipped off a lower corner of the stage house. It was threatened with demolition until an energetic local campaign and Friends group secured statutory designation in 1994. The frontage, which, with an improved setting, could again become a local landmark, is three-storeyed. Baroque in treatment, with a complex rhythm of bays articulated by coupled and single pilasters and groupings of arched windows and doorways all rendered. There is a large broken segmental pediment over the three central bays with date 1899. It retains an intimate auditorium. Two well curved balconies with good plasterwork on fronts, the upper gallery is benched. Single pedimented and delicately decorated plasterwork boxes in otherwise plain side walls, flanking a decorative plasterwork rectangular-framed 7.9m (26ft) proscenium. More decorative drops to the ante-proscenium walls, bolection mouldings and plasterwork panels to the stalls and ceiling. Deep central oval ceiling dome. The Grand could quite readily be restored and reopened. It could offer amateur and community drama and musical productions, small scale touring and other activities to complement Doncaster's new venue, Cast.
Pics
It’s so weird seeing a building as grand as this just surrounded by utter tripe.
The old dressing rooms. There was some pipework from the old gas lamps remaining in here. And then the newer porcelain roses with brass? Conduit.
This whole side of the building was rotten. It looks like the flat roof bit behind the grand façade is holding water and pissing in when its bad.
one of too proper cool dated bar areas. My idea of heaven.
A theatre brewdog. For the la la la la LADZ
Not sure if this was a ticket or a newspaper clipping?
This tiling reminds of any sort of leisure site back when I was a kid.
The other bar on the top level. This was suoer cool for me.
Not looking good for itself here.
Some great art deco styling on the seats. Im guessing this upstairs part was shut off for years whilst it was a bingo hall.
LBL?
and some old pictures I found on google from when it was a bingo hall.
Taking the long drive back from work (Bangor to Stockport) I get an email with info that this place is open and doable. I decided to pick @eastyham up and take the 1.5hr trip over to Donny. Ideally I’d of gone during daylight but I didn’t want to miss out on it. So complete darkness it is. Had a bit of bother of some goons who work in the shopping centre but still managed to sneak in another way.
Really enjoyed it in here. The floors are mega dodgy towards the front of the building but it is rather lovely along that side where the old dressing rooms are. I particularly loved the fly loft level with the old painted signs and poster remains.
History
The Doncaster Grand was constructed in 1899 and originally stood on a prominent site in a shopping street facing the main railway station. However, town centre improvements robbed it of any sensible context and it is no longer in a street, but attached rather indirectly to the Frenchgate shopping centre. It still faces the station, however is separated from it by a busy inner ring road which comes so close that it has actually snipped off a lower corner of the stage house. It was threatened with demolition until an energetic local campaign and Friends group secured statutory designation in 1994. The frontage, which, with an improved setting, could again become a local landmark, is three-storeyed. Baroque in treatment, with a complex rhythm of bays articulated by coupled and single pilasters and groupings of arched windows and doorways all rendered. There is a large broken segmental pediment over the three central bays with date 1899. It retains an intimate auditorium. Two well curved balconies with good plasterwork on fronts, the upper gallery is benched. Single pedimented and delicately decorated plasterwork boxes in otherwise plain side walls, flanking a decorative plasterwork rectangular-framed 7.9m (26ft) proscenium. More decorative drops to the ante-proscenium walls, bolection mouldings and plasterwork panels to the stalls and ceiling. Deep central oval ceiling dome. The Grand could quite readily be restored and reopened. It could offer amateur and community drama and musical productions, small scale touring and other activities to complement Doncaster's new venue, Cast.
Pics
It’s so weird seeing a building as grand as this just surrounded by utter tripe.
The old dressing rooms. There was some pipework from the old gas lamps remaining in here. And then the newer porcelain roses with brass? Conduit.
This whole side of the building was rotten. It looks like the flat roof bit behind the grand façade is holding water and pissing in when its bad.
one of too proper cool dated bar areas. My idea of heaven.
A theatre brewdog. For the la la la la LADZ
Not sure if this was a ticket or a newspaper clipping?
This tiling reminds of any sort of leisure site back when I was a kid.
The other bar on the top level. This was suoer cool for me.
Not looking good for itself here.
Some great art deco styling on the seats. Im guessing this upstairs part was shut off for years whilst it was a bingo hall.
LBL?
and some old pictures I found on google from when it was a bingo hall.
