The Hippodrome - Phase 1 Complete

After years of emptiness and neglect, it is good that the Hippodrome is now back in the news for the right reasons. Local MP, Caroline Lucas, has used it as the location to deliver her Christmas and New Year message, citing it as a symbol of hope and renewal. 

Lomax Design is proud to be part of the Consultant team to assist our client, Matsim, in bringing this project to fruition. Our first significant step was to apply a new roof to make the building watertight, with the threat that the building might well not survive another winter. After that, planning permission and listed building consent for this high-profile Grade II* Building were granted, and the work was undertaken at speed. After a continuous decline from its closure almost 15 years ago, a strategy was devised, a thorough application and consultation process undertaken (with several detailed method statements required), and the work completed on-site, all within the calendar year of 2021.

The crux of the problem at hand was that a roof replacement was not a viable solution. The vibration caused by attempting to remove the existing felt would be such that large areas of the original Frank Matcham designed fibrous plaster ceiling, and much of the reason for the building’s listed status, would be lost. Therefore, the Matsim solution was to provide an additional protective roof over the existing structure that could be constructed to avoid the vibration, which would cause further ceiling collapse. This solution protects the auditorium below from further water penetration and properly insulates the roof. It also provides additional working space for the specialist plaster repairs, allows for greater access for maintenance and repair in the future (in line with Historic England advice following the collapse of the ornate plaster ceiling at the Apollo Theatre in London in 2013), and provides a more attractive external appearance to the Dome.

Watch this space for updates on what must be one of the most exciting and important building projects currently in Brighton and Hove.