What should happen next?
Giroscope is starting some conversations about the future of the old Open Air Theatre in West Park, and we’d like people who live nearby, use the park or remember the theatre to get involved.
The theatre has been out of use for a long time, but it is still an important part of West Park. It was added to Hull’s Local List in July this year, and a recent heritage appraisal describes it as a nationally rare surviving example of a theatre-style bandstand.
We are doing some early work to look at whether it could be brought back into use and what might be possible there.
At this stage we want to hear from people before that work gets too far down the road. What do people value about the theatre? What should be kept? What could change? And what would make the site useful to people living around West Park now?
The work forms part of an early engagement process which may, down the line, result in a viability study, so the conversations we have over the next few weeks will help shape what is looked at in more detail.
Do you remember the Open Air Theatre?
West Park opened in 1885, and the current theatre-style bandstand opened in 1930 after Hull Corporation decided to replace the park’s earlier Victorian bandstand with something better suited to performances.
Over the years it hosted summer concerts, school performances, charity events, plays, pop and rock bands and talent competitions. Hull guitarist Mick Ronson performed there with The Rats in the late 1960s, before going on to work with David Bowie. The last talent competition is thought to have taken place in 1973.
We know there are still people in Hull who remember the theatre when it was in use, and we are particularly keen to hear from them.
You might remember going to a performance, taking part in something there, working or volunteering at the theatre, or visiting it with friends or family. You might also have photographs, programmes or other things connected with it.
Those memories can help us understand what made the theatre important to people and what might be worth carrying forward into any future use of the site.
What could it be used for?
There are plenty of ideas worth discussing.
The theatre could potentially be used again for performances and community events. There could be opportunities for learning, volunteering and activities for children and families. There are also questions about planting, access, visibility and how the theatre connects with the miniature railway, play area and the rest of West Park. A café or another regular use could also be explored. We want to understand what people think is worth exploring, including ideas we haven’t considered yet.
Getting out and talking to people
From 12 October, Giroscope will be speaking to people in and around West Park in several different ways.
We are planning pop-up conversations, work with children and families, a session gathering memories from older residents, and a guided heritage walk followed by a drop-in design workshop.
We particularly want to make sure the conversation involves everyone, including younger and older people, disabled people, local traders and volunteers, as well as people living closest to the park.
We will share more details about the events shortly.
Tell us what you think
You can get involved now by filling in our short survey:
Complete the West Park Open Air Theatre survey
It asks about how you use West Park, what you think is important about the theatre, possible future uses and anything you think we need to be aware of.
Once this first piece of engagement is finished, Giroscope will pull together what people have told us and feed it into the viability work. We will also share the main findings back with the community so people can see what has come out of the conversations and how the work is developing.
If you’ve got a memory of the theatre, an old photograph, an opinion about the site or simply an idea for something that could happen there, we’d like to hear from you.
Funded and supported by Boulevard and St Andrews Pride in Place.
