A Georgian Theatre In A Small Town

I have written about the small town on the Norfolk/Suffolk border in which I spent five happy years restoring a 17th-century house.

In that same town, many creative people lived, perhaps drawn by the quality of the environment and when I first moved there, the relatively inexpensive cost of attractive older houses. The town had a long history going back 1000 years, and a ruined castle to prove it.

It had never been a substantial town, but it had been an important market town for the surrounding villages in the rural border where the Waveney Valley provided an attractive border between Norfolk and Suffolk.

In the United Kingdom, East Anglia is the least developed region, which is ironic since in mediaeval times, it was the most highly populated.

It was very much an agricultural economy, and there are many rich churches, often endowed by wealthy merchants that had made their money from things like farming sheep, because the grazing in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk was so relatively rich. Those beautiful churches are called Wool Churches as a consequence, and there are some of the most beautiful churches in England in these counties, often in what are now small villages with tiny congregations for the enormous size, relatively speaking, of the churches.

In some respects, in the 18th century East Anglia was still an important and wealthy part of the agrarian economy. As such, it sustained businesses that have long since withered and died, as its lack of infrastructure has made it difficult for businesses to reach a sufficient audience to sustain their activities.

One such business was a chain of Georgian theatres, run by the Fisher family. At one time, there were about 12 theatres across this region, between which the Fisher family toured theatrical productions. All but one of the theatre buildings have been destroyed, and the one that survives was, when we first moved into this small town, converted into a commercial warehouse premises, all traces of its theatrical past long since removed.

But a small and growing group of like-minded people wished to restore this last vestige of an old theatrical past.

We were soon encouraged to join this group of enthusiastic people, amongst whom were some notable writers whose work may well be known to some of my blog readers.

Elizabeth Jane Howard, a novelist in her own right and once married to Kingsley Amis, father of Martin Amis, was in fact near neighbour in this most historic of streets where we were restoring our 17th-century house.

Dame Elizabeth was the patron of The Fisher Theatre charitable group, and would often give readings at the Theatre once it had been purchased, and before funding had been found to restore the theatre, not exactly to its former glory, but into a modern multipurpose space that could operate to the requirements of almost any art form that could be enticed to perform in this out of the way spot.

Just on the outskirts of the town lived another famous novelist, author of Birdsong Sebastian Faulks. He and Dame Elizabeth would give readings of their work and all proceeds from ticket sales would contribute towards the fundraising that was a necessary part of ensuring that Arts Council grants could be obtained.

The building itself was purchased for relatively little money, just over £60,000, through the fact that around 250 people contributed one pound per month to the charity, and this enabled a mortgage to be repaid for the purchase of the building itself.

When eventually an Arts Council grant was approved, it was for in excess of £400,000, and the express intention was to ensure that the fitting out of this old building should be to high modern standards, with seating that could be retracted when not needed for performance based activities, ensuring that there was a large open area on a sophisticated sprung floor that could for example accommodate small scale dance.

In the basement, a separate space was developed so that music could be hosted that would appeal particularly to a younger audience, and a catering operation at the heart of the Theatre would ensure that local people used the building regularly as a meeting place.

Typically, just as fate took my partner and I away from our completed restoration, and I was rehoused in more accessible accommodation as my capacities reduced because of the progression of my multiple sclerosis, the Theatre opened after its restoration, and by now, several years later, it is blossoming.

When we eventually sold our restored 17th-century house, it was to two people that were professional musicians, and they have since started a family, and also become regularly involved in activities at The Fisher Theatre.

It is comforting at least that all of our work to restore our own project has been loved in turn by two people for whom it seems the house suits perfectly.