Deep into the Peak District lies the Spa town of Buxton. Best known for its mineral water, it is also home to a gem of a theatre, the Opera House. It is part of a complex known as the Pavilion Gardens, built in the style of the Crystal Palace (and by the same architect).

The Opera House was the last to be built in 1903, and it is by the legendary architect Frank Matcham. Whilst it is called an opera house, it is more of a lyric theatre and presently seats 902.

The exterior is in Derbyshire stone and has twin cupolas, a style Matcham was fond of. The garden pavilion to the left was originally on the theatre site so it was dismantled and rebuilt alongside afterwards.

(This pavilion is currently closed due to structural problems but as the theatre has exits into it then a scaffold safe zone has been created inside). The canopy is a fine piece of wrought iron and the stained glass has been restored to the original design (after half a century of Cinema use from the 20s to the 70s).

This next shot is actually a cheat- it is a mirror image so that the writing is readable.

The main lobby is fairly small, but then again, in 1903, it was only for the wealthy patrons. (The ordinary folk had separate entrances to the sides for the Pit and Gallery). Through a pair of double doors, you come into the space with a terrazo floor and a painted mural ceiling.

This close-up of the ceiling mural shows this cherub with a mask.

A doorway to the left of the lobby leads to the stalls, whilst a wide staircase leads up to the dress circle. The handrails are embedded in a very ornate piece of marble.

At the top of the stairs is something rather unusual- a fire hose there for historic purposes only. (They like to keep things the way they were at the Opera House).

Passing in to the auditorium, the colour scheme is cream and gold, with blue seats. There are two boxes either side at circle level, with a single box above capped with a sunburst motif.

The Pièce de résistance of the auditorium is the ceiling, consisting of several murals around a central sunburner, the detailing being nothing short of sumptuous.

This is a close-up of the Sunburner, which was a victorian air conditioning system, creating an updraft to
remove the vitiated air. It is servicable but cannot be used as it is not certificated. (Apparently it was restored by Gas apprentices as a training project and includes a piezo-electric lighter).

In the upper circle slips there are stained glass windows either side which presumably used to allow light into the auditorium in the past (they are blocked off and backlit now).

On a technical note here, this was the first theatrical outing for my new camera. I was using it in dual mode, where it takes pictures both with and without flash. The following two photos show the difference in results for a proscenium cherub with a tambourine. The non-flash photos are warmer and more natural but more grainy due to the low light levels.

Here is a similar dual shot of the area above the proscenium. Note that the lights look much yellower when the camera adjusts the colour temperature to the flash.

From the circle slips, the serpentine curves of the balcony fronts can be seen.

Just for the sake of it, here is one of the ceiling bosses. That must have taken a lot of gold leaf!

Working our way back down the building, this is the rear of the decorative windows above the canopy in the circle bar.

From the back of the stalls, the balcony overhang is fairly substantial, although the upper circle does not suffer from this, as the gallery is behind. (the flash emphases it somewhat though).

The side walls of the rear stalls are tiled, somewhat more smartly than the gallery, which are plain.

Standing on the forestage, here is the view of the ceiling, showing the sunburner.

A close up of the stage left box front shows that what looks like terrazzo is in fact the scenographer’s art.

Stage right, underneath the box, the bard is celebrated.

Here is the view of the auditorium from behind the setting line.

At the back of the stage, the money shot, eye contact with every seat. (I could have been a fair bit further downstage with the Kodak camera with the wide angle setting).

As we transition from front of house to backstage, here is a section of the building, this is an original Matcham Architectural Practice drawing from a superb display area open during every performance.

The stage is pretty much like it was in 1903 in that it is still a hemp house with a wooden grid and original rake. There have been gradual introductions of technology but nothing earth shattering so it feels very much like an old theatre. The wings are fairly cramped either side but workable.

The Dressing Rooms still have original features and high cisterns in the toilets. This is #1, the star room (& you can see me in the mirror!)

From the Fly Floor, we can see the stage, flys and grid. Unusually, all the dark areas are a very dark brown rather than dark blue or black.

Under the stage, the orchestra pit has been enlarged to a useful space. The stage was cantilevered on huge girders in order to be able to remove the supporting wall. It is hard work for the crew though as there is no pit lift, it all being removable rostra and stagedecking.

Behind the orchestra pit is the electrical store. This suffers from flood water (the river is nearby) and two pumps (from dual power supplies) ensure the water stays below the false flooring.

One final view- the get-in. There are substantial dock doors on the side of the building but the stage is a couple of metres below. Originally it was just a steep staircase, then it became a removable ramp and now they have a scenic lift. It all helps…