Corn Exchange Theatre

The Corn Exchange Theatre stands in Wallingford’s Market Place, a Grade II listed building designed in the Italianate style. Completed in 1856, it replaced temporary trading spaces in the town hall where corn merchants once gathered. The façade features a central round-headed doorway with carved details, flanked by Corinthian pilasters and paired round-headed windows. Above the outer windows are small circular openings, and the roof holds a large pediment with a clock. The iron roof arches were cast locally at Wilders Foundry on Goldsmiths Lane. The building has served many purposes beyond its original trade role. In 1859, anti-slavery campaigner Henry Box Brown spoke here during a visit to Wallingford. Later, it became a cinema in the First World War and an unemployment office after the Second World War. In 1975, the Sinodun Players bought it and transformed it into a theatre, reopening in 1978 with Sir Peter Hall present. The group received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2020 for their work. Today, visitors find a working theatre with modern extensions reaching back to Wood Street. The interior retains its historic character while hosting plays and performances. The Corn Exchange also appeared on screen as the ‘Causton Playhouse’ in *Midsomer Murders*. Its central position in the Market Place makes it a familiar landmark in this Oxfordshire town.