The Pavilion Plans Part 10 – Storage, Stairs and Goods Lift

This is the tenth in my series of articles about the plans for the Pavilion. Storage space maybe the least sexy part of a building, but it is one of those things you can’t afford to get wrong!We have to have a goods lift, even though it is a really expensive item, as we cannot lift all the gear that is required for concerts, theatre, exhibitions or even table-top-sales without this lift. We will also have to move the re-movable chairs talked about in post eight. The lift will have to use the south staircase by the stage as it is the only position in the building that can access all the floors. The Stage and under-stage area are both on different levels to the ballroom. To achieve this it will have to have three doors, one opening at ground level and at storage level facing south. One door will be facing north to give access to the ballroom and the final one accessing the stage and the under-stage area. We will therefore require a new staircase which will go around this lift and connect the stage, under-stage, sun terrace, storage area and the toilets. This will be in a new building beside the stage and under-stage extension to the Pavilion. This staircase extension leads to larger extension on the south side of the Pavilion and beside the Mining Museum; it will run the length of the ballroom and be two stories high. I will talk more tomorrow about the lower floor tomorrow, but the upper floor will be our store and plant room. We need a store for all those seats talked about in part eight, there will be 4 carousels; a number of staging pieces that would be used to extend the stage; portable equipment for the flexible use intended for the building; and finally staging props that are regularly used and better not to store off-site. The philosophy and justification for this extension will be discussed in detail in post eleven. But the upper part of this building will be very useful to us, even if not very sexy! Gregor

The Pavilion Plans Part 9 – The Stage

This is the ninth in my series of articles about the plans for the Pavilion. The stage will not change in principle, but there is a significant amount of work to be done. We are looking to achieve the following objectives: • To keep the Proscenium Arch. • To have the ability to construct Theatre props, whilst the rest of the Pavilion is being used for other things. • To be able to slide in props from the wings. • To be able to drop props from the “Fly Tower”. • To be able to drop backdrops from the “Fly Tower”. • To have a good Dressing Room area for the Theatre. • To be able to have a “Green Room” for musicians. The stage is “raked”, what that means is that it is lower at the front than the back. This allows more people to have a clear view of the back of the stage. We will not change this. The width of the stage is an important question, due to sight-lines and the type of performance that we can put on. However the Proscenium Arch is a tremendous feature in the Pavilion, which should not be lost.The Proscenium Arch is seven meters wide but the stage could be extended to ten by ten meters. The result is that the arch restricts the view of the back of the stage; especially if you are sitting at the front and off to one side.The result is that there will be a limit to the range of productions that we can put on; because we have decided not to tamper with this wonderful feature. The curtain will have to be thick to ensure that we do not have too much noise from the construction of a stage. When other activities and occurring in the Ballroom, we will see stages being created for later Theatre productions. We may need a Safety Curtain and, if we do, this may be heavy enough to block most sounds. There is a lot of old equipment hidden behind the boarding that was erected around the Proscenium Arch, many years ago. This has protected the equipment and it is possible that we can re-use it for curtains, and backdrops to be lowered. We have in any case created a budget to cater for these items in our plans. The “Fly Tower” rises some meters above the stage and, whilst not a perfect shape or height, allows up much more flexibility in the productions that we can put on. Scene changes will be much easier with this arrangement. Currently there are two staircases one on each side of the stage. This allows an actor to leave one side of the stage, but return from the other. We will still have this facility, but one of the staircases will have to go, to give access from the goods lift; to both the stage level and the level below. The under-stage level currently has loos and dressing rooms and a large open space. For the current plans the changes on this level will be limited, even though the plans show a considerable alteration. This may be delayed as it is not essential and we will be limited for money at this time. We should, however, be able to refurbish this area and make it as pleasant as we can, without spending an enormous sum. From this under-stage area there is at least one exit to the stage and we feel sure that another exists. We have not been able to uncover enough of the stage to see where this comes in. Having different accesses to the stage will allow actors to arrive to the stage from numerous different directions. We hope to arrive at a position where we can offer a reasonable stage for; Theatre for Amateur Productions; Theatre for Schools; Small touring shows, with limited requirements; Comedy Nights; One man / woman shows. Gregor

The Pavilion Plans Part 8 – The Space

This is the eighth in my series of articles about the plans for the Pavilion. This part is again about the Ballroom, but it is about the ballroom uncovered, with the seats rolled back and the floor exposed. It is fine having a theatre, but that format limits the use that a space can be put to. So why not have a theatre that can also be used as a concert venue or as a space for exhibitions, table top sales or local sports? In the previous post I talked about the possibility of nine rows moveable seats and the front five-and-a-half rows being completely removable. The nine rows of movable seats would be able to be rolled back like drawers into a wardrobe. Click this link to see how this would work; there is an animation half way down the page. These would roll back to form two stacks at the back of the hall, in front of the balcony. The approximately 110 seats making up the front of the theatre seating would be stacked into carousels and stored in our new storage area. Below is a picture of how these would look when stacked.Clearing a large space in front of the balcony, which could accommodate around 400 people standing, means that we can use most of the ballroom for events other than theatre. The floor will be largely unaffected by the movement of the chairs as the flat chairs have removable rails that they attach to; which themselves can be removed. The moveable chairs have a wheeled arrangement that, at worst, will require a flat metal rail cut into the floor. The stage can therefore be used for a band playing, or extended forward if the band requires more space. These extensions would also require storage when not being used and would reduce the audience capacity.The balcony should not be forgotten. It will still be available when there are concerts, and will have a fire limit of 60. This is slightly lower than the seating capacity, but has more to do with the fire exits and the fact that there will only be one staircase for the first flight of stairs. When we have exhibitions and table top sales, we would use the whole space available including the Foyer, the Refectory and the Grey Room; this would give us a considerable space to erect tables and stalls. For these events, we would open the shutters and the lantern blinds. The whole ballroom will then feel very light – except in winter! Gregor

The Pavilion Plans Part 7 – The Theatre

This is the seventh in my series of articles about the plans for the Pavilion. This part, and the eighth talk, is about the Ballroom. It is central to the project and is therefore one which requires a significant amount of time devoted to it.

Firstly we wanted a theatre with around 400 seats. There is no Theatre near Matlock Bath of this size. You have to go to Buxton, Chesterfield or Derby to find a venue of this size or greater. There are however a number of venues that can cater for around 200; Ashover Village Hall, the Whitworth Centre and Highfields School all boast a hall of around this size. None fill the gap that exists for a larger hall.

Secondly we wanted to produce a proper theatre; everyone must have a good view of the stage. If all the seating was flat on the ballroom floor, however, the seats at the back of the Ballroom would not get a clear view of the stage. Clearly with a narrow Proscenium Arch there will be some seats at the front that will not be able to see all of the back of the stage, these would be few in number.

We also wanted people to enter the theatre from the top and walk down to their seats. We did not want a theatre that “felt” like a lecture theatre!

Thirdly we had to have a proper theatre stage and the dressing room facilities below that the Pavilion offers. As a result we have limited the use this space to a limited number of alternative uses.

Fourthly we had to cater for the legal requirements. There need to be at least two exits accessible to all the visitors in the hall. There needs to be full disabled assess and safe zones in the event of fire.

There need to be enough toilets; the rules state that 60% of a theatre audience are women and that there should be one loo for every 20 women plus one. That gives twelve womens’ loos! The requirement for non Theatre is much lower (one for every 50 plus two).

Finally we wanted a flexible space, but more about that in part 8.

The design we have come up with is one which has two corridors down from the entrances at the top. The first five rows of seats are on a balcony, about which I have already spoken in part 4. The following nine rows are all on movable seats (more about that in part 8). All of these seats will be at an angle to ensure a good view of the stage. The top seat will be around 11 feet higher than the ballroom floor level.

The five front rows, and another half row, would be movable allowing access to the fire exits and, if a larger stage is needed, some of these rows can be removed. Additionally, if 400 seats are not needed, the front area can be left open.

The seating would be proper cushioned theatre seats with armrests but probably not quite the quality that you would get in a top quality cinema. This compromise is in order to get the greatest number of seats in the theatre and, to have a flexible use for the space, some of the seats will have to be movable and others will have to fold away.

The windows would have sound-proof shutters that can be opened when the theatre is being used during the daytime. The walls would have heat insulation, which would also assist in keeping sound in the hall.

The big change from the nightclub would be in the roof space. We would re-open it as in the attached picture and create a mechanism that will shut out light from the lantern, when complete darkness is required.

The theatre will therefore have a great feeling of space, deriving from its height, so even with 400 people inside it will feel spacious.

The wonderful Proscenium Arch (pictured) will be exposed, repaired and shown in all its glory – it will become a great feature of the restored theatre.

The type of theatre we can offer is not going to be universal, we cannot cater for large theatre touring companies, but with only 400 seats on offer we cannot get enough income to pay their costs. We will be able to offer theatre in the following formats:

• Small touring company performances, e.g. those with limited numbers on-stage at any one time. • Local amateur theatre companies. • School theatre, where they need a larger venue to fit everyone in. • Comedy nights and other one man / woman acts.

This will give a tremendous range of theatre opportunities for people in an area covering most of both Derbyshire Dales and Amber Valley.

Gregor

The Pavilion Plans Part 6 – The Grey Room

This is the sixth in my series of articles about the plans for the Pavilion. The room I’m talking about was known as the “The Quiet Room” in the time of the nightclub. We are working with the name “The Grey Room” in memory of Phil Grey, who ran the Pavilion in its heyday.We have considered a number of considerations for this room: • The room should be available for local use. • Additionally it should be available for certain events in the Pavilion. • There should therefore be a separate entrance for the local use. • It should primarily be simple in structure and organisation. • Could it be opened early?With the separate staircase it should be easy to separate the Grey Room from the rest of the building. The fire doors at the top of the stairs can be used to separate this room from and other activities going on in the Pavilion. There is an area beside the Grey Room that could be used as storage and the room can therefore be used for a range of activities beyond just meetings. As a result there could be a fairly wide range of activities from sports to meetings of the Parish Council. There will also be a door onto a patio we are creating above the storage space (more about this later). When there is an event that wants to spill out onto this it will be available. We can therefore cater for receptions and private parties in this room. When there is a Theatre night, the Grey Room would be used in the interval for drinks. When there are Table Top Sales or Exhibitions, this room can be added to the space available. Gregor

The Pavilion Plans Part 5 – Theatre Entrance 2nd Floor

This is the fifth in my series of articles about the plans for the Pavilion. It talks about the top floor and the Dome.Few people will have seen this floor as it was mostly offices, store rooms and a workshop. The public did not often get up there! The Theatre starts to dominate my story. Part 7 will be all about the Theatre, but the reader needs to know that the entrance to the Theatre will be from this floor: • We needed to have a light and audio Control Room. • We needed to have a exits from the Theatre. • The Disabled Lift terminates here. • We needed provision for a disabled toilet. • The corridors have to be “fire proof” to meet the regulations. As the feature staircase (discussed in post four) arrives on the 2nd floor, the corridor splits and goes either side of the Control Room. The Control Room will have all the audio and light controls for both Theatre and Music Venue and, with a hole in the back wall of the ballroom, people in the Control Room will be able to see the whole stage area. It will be raised a bit above the seating in front, hence the steps up. As to the corridors, the right hand one (upper in the picture) goes straight to the entrance to the Theatre, past a small storage room or office. The left hand corridor will go past the atrium and the top of the disabled lift. Here will be a secure disabled safety area in case of fire. The corridor then passes another office and the disabled toilet, before entering the Theatre. The dome room will not be touched at the moment, as this will cost more and we will have limited funds. It will be used however; as we hope we have found someone to rent it from us. When exiting the building, in the event of fire, the right hand staircase, the upper on in the plan above will be the secure fireproof staircase. This directly connects to the feature staircase to the second floor. Gregor

The Pavilion Plans Part 4 – Main Foyer 1st Floor

This is the fourth in my series of articles about the plans for the Pavilion. Let me say again, these plans are just draft plans and will change as further considerations are taken into account.The biggest internal change will occur in what was the long corridor between the Refectory and what we are calling the “Grey Room” (more about this room in a later post). In the days of the nightclub this was a long dark corridor with toilets off to one side and the dance floor off to the other, at one end was the Quiet Room and at the other was the Canteen. We wanted to convert this into: • Something that is light. • Somewhere not dominated by the toilets. • Space to create good access to the floor above (more about this in my next post). • Space for the Disabled lift. • A small retail outlet for ice creams chocolates and programmes. • A wider space; not just a corridor. In order to achieve this we are proposing a balcony, with five rows of seats, over the back of the ballroom. This looses a bit of the open space in the ballroom, but gives us an enormously useful space below it. In this space we will put the toilets and create an attractive foyer, in the middle, to draw people into the ballroom. As part of the corridor, it will give the corridor a much wider feel than it currently has. Where the existing toilet space are can be turned into a much brighter space, using the light from the windows at the front of the building. On the left will be a feature staircase, which will act as access to the entrance to the theatre; which will be above. By having a glass wall in this staircase, light will flood in from the windows to the foyer. In the middle, where currently there is a narrow staircase, will be the ice cream outlet with a small atrium above; to allow more light to flow into the foyer. On the right will be the disabled lift and the rest of that space turned into a small office. Again it may be possible to allow light to shine in from the office by having a glass partition between it and the foyer. In all, we can create a light and airy space right next to the Ballroom entrance with good assess, to both the staircases down and the feature staircase up to the floor above; about which I will talk in my next post. Gregor

The Pavilion Plans Part 3 – The Cloakroom

This is the third in a series of articles about the plans for the Pavilion, which I will write over a number of days. This one is shorter as there is much less space on the Mezzanine Floor than any other.In the nightclub the space available was used as a cloakroom and a small room, with no natural light, used as part store and part fuse-room for the electrical system.The disabled lift has to go through this so a part of the space is taken with its shaft. The rest of the space will be taken up by the cloakroom. The cloakroom will therefore be bigger and able to store coats from a large proportion of the 400 theatre visitors if necessary. Gregor

The Pavilion Plans Part 2 – The Refectory

This is the second in a series of articles about the plans for the Pavilion, which I will write over a number of days. It must be remembered that these plans are just draft plans and will change as further considerations are taken into account. The design of a bar / catering outlet in the Pavilion is important and will be one of the keys to its success. The profile we were looking for is as follows: • Primarily to cater for visitors to the Pavilion. • Not to compete directly with other Café / Food outlets in Matlock Bath. • Not to offer too complex a range of food; which would have required a large kitchen. • Be part of the pedestrianised area at the front of the Pavilion, to draw people in. • But also offer food to people on the 1st floor. • Only to sell alcohol to those inside the building for an event. The formulation we have come up with is to have a “Refectory” on the ground floor, which would offer things, not currently available elsewhere in Matlock Bath. For instance we could offer “Fair Trade” products in the Refectory. There could also be long benches rather than simple tables and chairs. The Refectory would be in the old Tourist Information Centre. On the ground floor will be the kitchen, with a “Dumb Waiter” to the floor above. This will be big enough to lift crates of drinks to the floor above. There would be a self service servery again adding to the distinction between it and other facilities in the village. The new back door will lead to a small bins area and a reasonably sized beer store. These would take up three public parking spaces, but by re-organising the parking, these can be replaced. This is an important point, as the Council values these spaces! On the first floor will be the bar. It is in the room above the old Tourist Information Centre, as this will allow space for queuing; without having people trying to get past. The bar will need to be supplied from the beer store nearby below. Currently the window with the best view in that room, over Matlock Bath, is taken up by the Kitchen. We will have the bar backing onto the view of the car park, so when this room is let or used during the day, the view will be visable. The right of the bar will have the food preparation room and the whole of the rest will be available for serving food during the day and bar use during the evening. On Theatre nights, a ledge round the room will be used for pre-ordered drinks. In this way we hope to offer something is different and attractive to visitors to the Pavilion and encourage them to come back. Gregor

The Pavilion Plans Part 1 – The Entrance

This is the first in a series of articles about the plans for the Pavilion, which I will write over a number of days. It must be remembered that these plans are just draft plans and will change as further considerations are taken into account. There were a number of considerations that we have already had to take into account for the New Front Entrance, we wanted: • Something bold; that made a statement about the changes to the building. • A pedestrianised area at the front; to give the entrance a welcoming feel. • To make the inside of the foyer warm in winter! • More natural light in the foyer. • To share the foyer with the Mining Museum to attract visitors to both. • To give disabled access to the whole building. • To have this disabled access the best possible position.The plan shows an entrance with a large pedestrianised area, a canopy and a glass covered entrance foyer. This allows the whole front area to be used as an advert for what is happening inside. The canopy will be high enough to be clearly visible from the road and for emergency vehicles to get underneath if needed. On the canopy we can hang adverts for what is happening inside. The sliding doors and the glass front enables the foyer to be larger and, with two sets of doors, stops the cold breezes that currently fill the Mining Museum on cold winter days! Inside the first set of doors is the disabled lift entrance; this leads to all floors. As you arrive in the foyer you are greeted with the ticket office for the Pavilion on the left and the entrance to the Mining Museum on the right. We hope that visitors, attracted by one venue, will pay a visit to both. The wall on the right of the foyer may be taken by the Tourist Information Point, which gives visitors about Matlock Bath attractions and allows them to make bookings. This is very accessible and again will attract visitors to also go into either of the Mining Museum or the Pavilion. Overall the entrance experience will be for more appealing than what was on offer by the nightclub. After buying their tickets, visitors would turn left to enter the Pavilion. What they will see next will be in the next instalment….. Gregor

What do you know about the History of the Pavilion?

Along side the unveiling of the Draft Plans for the Pavilion the Matlock Bath Pavilion Group is looking at the History of the Pavilion. Over the months that the Group has been in existence Group Historian, Charles Beresford, has been busy building up a history of the building. Many people have shared their experiences and stories about their stories of the Pavilion. This will be shared as part of the Open Days, which will be held in the Pump Room of the Pavilion on Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th of June between 10am and 4pm; Saturday will be open until 6pm.The Group is attempting to build a repository of photographs, drawings, painting and peoples own personal accounts of how the Grand Pavilion may have played a part in their lives. Did you meet your partner at the Pav? Did you see live music? Have your first kiss?They will then look to use this ‘Memory Bank’ to tell the story of the Grand Pavilion through the years using a variety of methods, such as through their website or even in a book. Can you help us build a ‘Grand Pavilion Memory Bank’? Charles can be contacted at Lyndhurst, Brunswood Road, Matlock Bath. Tel.: 01629 56785. Gregor

Pavilion "Open Days" Announced

We will be organising open days in the Pump Room of the Pavilion on Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th of June between 10am and 4pm; Saturday will be open until 6pm. After three months of furious work, we are ready to unveil our Draft Plans showing what the Pavilion may look like in future. Our plans include a 400 seat theatre, which can be changed into an open space within a few minutes. It will preserve the original stage and will use the side rooms as meeting rooms and a “Refectory” serving visitors to the building with food and drinks. The Pavilion will boast a grand front entrance with a canopy to the road and a foyer shared with the Peak Mining Museum. There will be full disabled access. We have built up a good relationship with the Peak Mining Museum and the Parish Council. We have included all their requirements into our plan, with the minimum of disruption to their space in the building. At the gardens side of the Pavilion the Group are proposing to move the Public Toilets to the side of the building and significantly upgrade the quality. Gregor

A Company Limited by Guarantee!

After some time working on our ideas for The Pavilion, we are really beginning to show some results! First is setting up the company that will be the vehicle for the Charity; that will run the Pavilion. This is a “Company Limited by Guarantee”. It will be called The Grand Pavilion Ltd. The subscribers will come from the Matlock Bath Pavilion Group as well as a representative of both the Peaks Mining Museum and the Parish Council. You can find the constitution at the attached website: http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Library/guidance/gd1text.pdf This wording helps to Fast-Track Charitable Status. We will need to add £4,000 to the £1,000 that we have already raised in order to apply. We have got lots of activities planned to raise this money and if you can help, please contact me by responding to this blog link or phone me on 0777 1717 086 or visit the website www.savethepavilion.com. Gregor

Visit to the Buxton Pavilion

Yesterday I visited Buxton and spoke to Terry Crawford of the Buxton Pavilion. The place seems to be buzzing with activity. The Gardens were full of visitors and the Cafe was busy. The shop appeared to be doing a roaring trade and the Concert Hall was hosting an Antiques Fair. Terry spoke about how success was based on keeping busy and what I saw seemed to prove that. Having looked at our plans for the Pavilion, he suggested that when the stage was not being used, it could become a small cinema by facing the chairs sideways. What would be required would be sound insulation between the stage and the rest of the hall. We also spoke about the banqueting capability of the ballroom and talked around the difficulties of organising hot food without having a substantial kitchen facility. Corporate use during the week is certainly a possibility and the lecture theatre combines with the array of rooms for break-out meetings would work out well. Gregor

Latest Partnership and Regeneration Committee

Last night the Partnership and Regeneration Committee unanimously noted our April report.

As they did this there were a number of comments about how much work we had done in getting to the stage that we are at. Well done everyone!

A comment made, that we must pay attention to, is that we should have a clear idea of where the funding comes from. We need this funding to do the necessary changes to the building, before we can open. We are working on this currently; but must end up with a clear idea, if we are to persuade the Council to allow us to go ahead.

Gregor