Citadel Arts Centre
Encyclopedia
The Citadel Arts Centre, commonly referred to as The Citadel, is a multi disciplinary arts centre situated in the centre of St Helens
in Merseyside
, England
occupying a Victorian building on the corner of Waterloo Street and Milk Street. The centre offers an artistic programme consisting mainly of live music and community arts, as well as creative writing classes, art classes, dance and drama groups and music classes.
In 1887 the manager, a Mr Wallace Revill, purchased and plot of land on Corporation Street in St Helens, and a new theatre was constructed. Revill vacated the Milk St building and took the name 'Theatre Royal' with him. The new Theatre Royal still stands.
The Salvation Army purchased the building in 1889 and began an extensive programme of refurbishments which removed the stage and fly tower, the upper balcony and also the boxes. This was furthered in 1904 when the building was altered even more. It was reopened by Col Pilkington, of the famous Glass manufacturers in June 1905. The building was used by the Salvation Army as their Citadel (from whence its new name came) up until the early 1980s. It was then put up for sale.
, The La's
, The Verve
and Cast
take to the stage. Since a major refurbishment and restructuring in the year 2000, the organisation has changed considerably. As well as the music programme, The Citadel now offers an extensive range of inclusive creative arts. In 2002 the venue was voted as one of the top 10 jazz and blues venues in the UK by the newspaper, The Independent.
2008 saw the launch of the St Helens Choir, in coordination with St Helens Council and the Sing Out 08 promotion (part of the Liverpool Capital of Culture
operation).
In 2009 The Citadel celebrated its 21st birthday with a special event with invited guests and members of the public. Also in 2009 The Citadel was awarded Big Lottery Young Peoples Fund 2 as part of the National Lottery (United Kingdom)
's ongoing Arts Council investment scheme to run its Music Mecca project.
2010 saw the launch of Music Mecca, a 3 year project designed to offer free music workshops to young people across the St Helens area. Music Mecca was one of the featured promotions for St Helens Festival.
St Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
in Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
occupying a Victorian building on the corner of Waterloo Street and Milk Street. The centre offers an artistic programme consisting mainly of live music and community arts, as well as creative writing classes, art classes, dance and drama groups and music classes.
History
The building was originally constructed in 1861 as a music hall/theatre simply named the 'Theatre Royal'. It replaced an unspecified earlier building on the site. The theatre originally had two balconies and a large stage with a small fly tower. It had capacity for over 1300 people. The remains of the second balcony can still be seen today. The theatre was popular with touring companies and despite numerous different owners it grew in popularity until the venue was deemed to be unfit for purpose.In 1887 the manager, a Mr Wallace Revill, purchased and plot of land on Corporation Street in St Helens, and a new theatre was constructed. Revill vacated the Milk St building and took the name 'Theatre Royal' with him. The new Theatre Royal still stands.
The Salvation Army purchased the building in 1889 and began an extensive programme of refurbishments which removed the stage and fly tower, the upper balcony and also the boxes. This was furthered in 1904 when the building was altered even more. It was reopened by Col Pilkington, of the famous Glass manufacturers in June 1905. The building was used by the Salvation Army as their Citadel (from whence its new name came) up until the early 1980s. It was then put up for sale.
The Citadel
Today The Citadel is the only Arts Centre in St Helens. From 1988 up until 1999 the venue primarily was a rock, blues and jazz venue and saw bands in their infancy such as The Stone RosesThe Stone Roses
The Stone Roses are an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...
, The La's
The La's
The La's were an English rock band from Liverpool, originally active from the mid-1980s to early 1990s. Fronted by singer, songwriter and guitarist Lee Mavers, the group is most famous for their hit single "There She Goes". The band was formed by Mike Badger in 1984 and Mavers joined soon after...
, The Verve
The Verve
The Verve were an English rock band formed in 1989 in Wigan by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones, and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboardist Simon Tong later became a member. Beginning with a psychedelic sound indebted to shoegazing and space...
and Cast
Cast (band)
Cast are an English rock band from Liverpool, formed in 1992 by John Power and Peter Wilkinson after Power left The La's and Wilkinson's former band Shack had split...
take to the stage. Since a major refurbishment and restructuring in the year 2000, the organisation has changed considerably. As well as the music programme, The Citadel now offers an extensive range of inclusive creative arts. In 2002 the venue was voted as one of the top 10 jazz and blues venues in the UK by the newspaper, The Independent.
2008 saw the launch of the St Helens Choir, in coordination with St Helens Council and the Sing Out 08 promotion (part of the Liverpool Capital of Culture
European Capital of Culture
The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by theEuropean Union for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension....
operation).
In 2009 The Citadel celebrated its 21st birthday with a special event with invited guests and members of the public. Also in 2009 The Citadel was awarded Big Lottery Young Peoples Fund 2 as part of the National Lottery (United Kingdom)
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
's ongoing Arts Council investment scheme to run its Music Mecca project.
2010 saw the launch of Music Mecca, a 3 year project designed to offer free music workshops to young people across the St Helens area. Music Mecca was one of the featured promotions for St Helens Festival.