Morecambe Winter Gardens secures £2.8m for refurbishment

By Tim Aldred

23 Mar 2023

Morecambe Winter Gardens

Morecambe Winter Gardens has secured a £2.78m grant from the Cultural Development Fund to help bring the historic theatre back to prominence.

The venue first opened in 1897 and once attracted the biggest music and variety stars of the day, helping Morecambe become one of the best-loved seaside resorts in the country.

However, the venue closed in the mid-1970s as Morecambe’s economy, like seaside towns across the UK, began to collapse.

A group of dedicated volunteers formed the Preservation Trust in 2006 and have since work to clean, restore and raise funds in a bid to bring the building back to its former glory.

The drive to secure these latest funds was led by Prof Vanessa Toulmin, professor of entertainment history at the University of Sheffield, who was born and grew up in Morecambe.

For the past three years, she has been chair of the Morecambe Winter Gardens Preservation Trust, a group of volunteers who are trying to restore the building.

She said: "This is a historic day for the Winter Gardens and marks the single biggest investment in the theatre for over 100 years. I am overjoyed for the residents of Morecambe who have shown such love and loyalty to the building over the many years of disappointment, thankful for the support of my board, our partners, our donors and funders and of course our wonderful volunteers.

"We still have a long way to go, but this funding gets us nearer to our ambition of making our building sing and be known once again as the people’s palace – the Albert Hall of the North."

The money will bring a cash injection of £2.5 million of capital to the building, alongside £700,000 of additional funding including £200,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Proposed work includes a two-storey extension including toilets, accessible lifts and new fire escape, full electrical rewiring, essential AV and lighting equipment, including an acoustic shell for the fly-tower and other essential conservation work.  

Alongside the capital works, the Preservation Trust will work with partners, including From the Fields, known for the hugely popular Kendall Calling and Blue Dot festivals, and Morecambe and Lancaster arts groups to programme new events and music activities over the next three years. 

Crucial to the development of the building is a Young Creatives Initiative in partnership with Lancaster and Morecambe College, which will see a cohort of 75 young creatives from Morecambe and Lancaster given the opportunity to have work experience, paid training from national bodies with local and regional cultural partners.  

David Morris, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, said: "It is absolutely fantastic news that the Winter Gardens has been awarded £2.78 million by the government. It was a fantastic bid, which I was proud to support and it is a testament to how strong a bid the team at the Winter Gardens, led by Professor Vanessa Toulmin put in.

"I believe it is the first time that an award of this type has been awarded to a Trust running a project and not a council or larger organisation. Well done to everyone at the Winter Gardens who put this bid together and I know what a huge impact this funding will have at restoring the building to its former glory and protecting the wonderful Winter Gardens for generations to come."

The Winter Gardens will additionally fundraise a further £200,000 – 7.5 per cent – of the remaining funds towards important conservation of the Grade II interiors including the impressive ceramic tiles in the main foyer. Over the three years of the grant the Winter Gardens will be transformed into a fully functioning 1,600-capacity music venue.

The Winter Gardens has also received £1.6m of funding over the last three years from Historic England Theatres Trust, Architectural Heritage Fund, the University of Sheffield, Lancaster City Council, Morecambe Town Council, Lancashire County Council and over 500 individual donors from the public.

Enjoyed this? Read more from Tim Aldred

Latest news

1

PM+M welcomes ten new apprentices for 2025 intake Lucy Field, Kate Walsh, Ellie Fisher, Zainab Aswat, Reece Jones, Aisha Bibi Patel, Finley Vila, Uzair Zariwala, Richard Prest, and Charlie Harrison

PM+M welcomes ten new apprentices for 2025 intake

11 Sep 2025

2

ROCCIA strengthens commercial division with senior appointment Andrew Grove

ROCCIA strengthens commercial division with senior appointment

11 Sep 2025

3

Final call for investors: Rossendale community solar project must hit target by November Gary McEwan managing director of Interfloor

Final call for investors: Rossendale community solar project must hit target by November

10 Sep 2025

4

Lancashire Combined County Authority unveil plan to Get Lancashire Working Lancashire Combined Authority

Lancashire Combined County Authority unveil plan to Get Lancashire Working

10 Sep 2025

5

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and BAE Systems’ FalconWorks announce strategic collaboration Collaboration between BAE Systems FalconWorks and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and BAE Systems’ FalconWorks announce strategic collaboration

09 Sep 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
Sub36 Networking - Follow the signs
Sub36 Deaf Village Social1200
Networking
17 Sep 2025

Sub36 Networking - Follow the signs

The Deaf Village, Blackburn, BB2 5EN

10:00 - 12:00

LBV124 September/October Launch Event
MBP Arc Cinema Preston Opening 205
Networking
18 Sep 2025

LBV124 September/October Launch Event

The Arc Cinema, Preston, PR1 2BL

08:30 - 10:30

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

Longridge Soap Box Derby
Screenshot 2025-06-10 090035.png.png
LBV Hub Fundraisers
14 Sep 2025 - 14 Sep 2025

Longridge Soap Box Derby

Berry Lane, Longridge, PR3 3WH

10:00 - 16:30

Preston Tech Connection - The Ultimate Tech Quiz!
Preston Tech Connection Sept 25.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
16 Sep 2025 - 16 Sep 2025

Preston Tech Connection - The Ultimate Tech Quiz!

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 19:00

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
17 Sep 2025 - 17 Sep 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Stanley House, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

11:30 - 14:15

Cumbria Business Expo 2025
https---cdn.evbuc.com-images-880461633-4862066883-1-original.20241022-110415.jpeg.jpg
LBV Hub Exhibitions
19 Sep 2025 - 19 Sep 2025

Cumbria Business Expo 2025

Carlisle Racecourse, Carlisle, CA2 4TS

09:00 - 15:00

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: September
Sept Freelancer (1).png.png
LBV Hub Networking
23 Sep 2025 - 23 Sep 2025

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: September

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:30

Your Business, Your Region: Making sense of devolution and Local Government Reorganisation
Chorley Council breakfast event new
LBV Hub Networking
23 Sep 2025 - 23 Sep 2025

Your Business, Your Region: Making sense of devolution and Local Government Reorganisation

Worden Hall, Leyland, PR25 3DH

08:00 - 11:00

Speed Networking with BNI
2.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
24 Sep 2025 - 24 Sep 2025

Speed Networking with BNI

Chorley Football Club, Chorley, PR7 3DU

16:00 - 19:00

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment (MTD for ITSA) drop-in day
MTD drop in session.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
25 Sep 2025 - 25 Sep 2025

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment (MTD for ITSA) drop-in day

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment (MTD for ITSA) drop-in day, Blackburn, BB1 5QB

10:00 - 16:00

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV 123 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin