Express & Star

A venue with a soul and a community hub that's been hosting famous names for decades

It's a diverse venue which has been hosted everything from The Who to amateur dramatic performances.

Plus
Published

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565

Set in an unusual place between a Tesco superstore and the Crown Centre shopping centre, Stourbridge Town Hall has been a hub of activity in the town since it was built for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887.

The venue cost £5,000 to build (the equivalent of £823,916.44 today) and features three different rooms, from the iconic and decorative Theatre Hall to the Wollaston Studio, an intimate space on the first floor of the Town Hall, and the cinema, a 14-foot screen with surround sound.

The hall itself is the main draw, complete with a comprehensive lighting rig, follow spots, sound system and tiered seating, along with an orchestra pit and extremely spacious dressing room facilities.

Theatre manager Kelly Martin said the hall was paid for by public subscription by the people of Stourbridge and spoke of how the area around it had developed over the years.

Manager Kelly Martin said the hall was a diverse place with lots of entertainment

She said: "The town had been in existence before the town hall and where the Tesco and the Crown Centre are now were once a car park and the old town market, with the Tesco being built 11 years ago.

"Basically, the Crown Centre got built around it and it became part of the centre, similar to the set up of Birmingham Symphony Hall."