Palace Theatre, Newark

The Palace Theatre stands in Newark-on-Trent as a 20th-century Neo-Byzantine building. Its entrance façade follows the angle of the road junction, divided into two bays by shafts topped with domed pinnacles. The front includes detailed wooden doors, a big entrance, and three Neo-classic windows. Arab-style minarets appear to support the façade, while the stage tower has a mansard roof. A memorabilia store sits beside the entrance façade, and the theatre once had a £200,000 renovation in 1988. Local entrepreneur Emily Blagg built the theatre in the 1920s as both a cinema and a live-performance venue. She had already opened Newark’s first cinema in 1913 and designed the Palace to adapt if film interest declined. The first screening was *King Solomon’s Mines*, and the tall minarets served as fire-watch posts during the Second World War. Architects Gordon Benoy and Partners altered the building in 1974, and John Perkins led a further change in 1988. The theatre was listed as a Grade II building in 1993 and now hosts acts such as Jason Manford and Joan Armatrading. Inside, the auditorium holds 630 seats, including spaces for disabled visitors. The flat ceiling is made of eight panels bordered by delicate plaster mouldings, and the proscenium arch measures 8.5 metres wide and 6.7 metres high. The orchestra pit can be covered to extend the stage, and the original stalls floor had only a slight rake. A 1920s-style café provides refreshments, and free superfast Wi-Fi allows video conferencing. The building keeps its early music-hall atmosphere with balconies on three sides and en-suite toilets.