Brighton Hippodrome Theatre – Fibrous Plaster Ceiling Restoration

Brighton Hippodrome theatre was acquired by family-run company Matsim Properties in 2020, with a view to restore and repurpose it, maintaining the auditorium as a performance and entertainment space. Described by the Theatres Trust as “The UK’s most architecturally significant circus theatre – the finest surviving example of its type in the country.” It had been on the Theatres at Risk Register since it closed in 2006.

The Grade II listed building was originally conceived as an ice rink back in 1897, but in 1901 it was converted into a circus, designed by renowned architect Frank Matcham, before being redesigned again as a theatre the following year by Bertie Crewe. The Hippodrome has played host to a variety of performing stars, including illusionist Harry Houdini, comedians Laurel and Hardy, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

Artisan Plastercraft has been operating both on-site and in our London workshop to preserve, restore and recreate the amazing decorative plasterwork that adorns ceilings and walls of this historied venue.

Working from the top down, our work started with the oculus and top tier of the fibrous plaster ceiling of the main auditorium, the layout of which resembles a circus big top. Our craftsmen took rubber moulds of the existing balcony-style enrichments to cast new fibrous plaster sections that were fixed and blended to fully restore the small circular area at the peak of the ceiling.

Next, we moved to the circular finial enrichments beneath, using site squeezes and easily removable damaged pieces to recreate and restore these high-level ceiling features. Once complete, we moved down further to the beam casings and ‘bays’ beneath, detailing the recreation of the large shell mouldings in photographs taken during the restoration in our workshop.

Perhaps one of the most striking elements of the fibrous plaster ceiling is the ‘face and serpents’ mouldings that appear above the seating areas around the upper circle of the theatre auditorium. Again, much of the restoration process involved taking damaged and broken sections of plaster away from the venue and painstakingly repairing it in our workshop to use as the basis of making a full-size model. From the model we can create moulds to re-cast and restore the ceiling elements to return it to its best.

This video shows a section of barrel ceiling being recreated using some of the original ceiling components. This enabled us to create four moulds using silicone rubber, which in-turn allow new fibrous plaster casts to be made to match the original design.

Being located in the heart of Brighton, the Hippodrome has generated interest and support from locals and theatre enthusiasts alike. The scale of the restoration, which has received over £5 million worth of work so far, has attracted news coverage from media outlets, including ITV Meridian, BBC Sussex, local newspapers and theatre trade press.

In fact, local resident Norman Cook, aka DJ Fatboy Slim, visited Brighton Hippodrome during one of the public open days held my Matsim Properties and commented to ITV Meridian “It’s fabulous. It’s a triumph that it’s still here. I’d love to play here!”

Councillor Liz Loughran, chair of Brighton & Hove City Council’s planning committee, also commented: “The Hippodrome theatre is a superb historic building that has been shut for too long. The scheme councillors have approved will protect and restore its historic features and bring the Hippodrome back into use as another entertainment venue for the city.”

We look forward to the completed project and grand opening as we continue to support Matsim Properties with decorative and lime plaster restoration services at Brighton Hippodrome.

A summary of our news updates and links to external media coverage can be found in this Brighton Hippodrome news blog post.