Old Buildings in Need...Buxton Opera House

All old buildings need some care and attention, and the beautiful Buxton Opera House is no different. T.A.D. were commissioned in 2016 to oversee the design, specification and project management for the latest refurbishment works by High Peak Borough Council.

Buxton Opera House was designed by the celebrated theatre architect Frank Matcham, and it opened its doors on 1st June 1903. The theatre has gone through many changes since then, opening as a cinema in 1927 before falling into disrepair in the mid-70s. Through hard work and dedication the Opera House was restored and reopened in 1979. During the late 1990s further internal restoration work was carried out, and this latest round of work is to secure the future of the Opera House for many generations to come.

Alongside vital maintenance to some of the roof structure, the exterior of the building had a face lift, with the exterior walls repointed, the high level Lantern glazing and covering replaced and all windows and down spouts repaired or replaced and decorated.

The project started on site in January 2017 with some critical enabling works, followed by the main works scheduled to commence after the summer festival to minimise the disruption to Theatre activities and was completed in early December.

The work was carefully designed and managed by T.A.D. Architects liaising closely with Conservation Officers and Historic England to ensure minimal effect to the buildings heritage with the essential structural repairs, alongside ensuring that the paint colour chosen for the refurbishment matched historic samples taken previously.

T.A.D. Architects worked closely throughout with main contractor GF Tomlinsons from Derby, to coordinate the delivery of the works on site utilising the empa ii framework and minimising the impact on the productions taking place within the Opera House.

Paul Kerryson, Executive Director at the Opera House was pleased with the approach of the team, adding “This is to say a big thank you to you and your teams on behalf of myself and the Opera House for completing the external works at the Opera House in such an efficient and effective manner. Everything was on schedule and with minimum disruption to our business. It’s great to see the scaffolding gone on time and the building looking in pristine condition ready for our pantomime audiences to admire!”

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