Rose Theatre, Edinburgh
The Rose Theatre is an arts venue and Category B listed building on Rose Street, Edinburgh, Scotland, owned by ballet dancer and director Peter Schaufuss and currently operated by promoters Gilded Balloon, primarily as a venue for theatre and comedy during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
 Exterior of building | |
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| Address | 204 Rose Street Edinburgh, Scotland United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 55.9512°N 3.2055°W |
| Owner | Peter Schaufuss |
| Operator | Gilded Balloon |
| Capacity | 300 (main hall), 120 (basement), 100 (studio), 50 (attic) |
| Current use | Theatre and comedy venue |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1912 (as Charlotte Chapel) |
| Reopened | 2017 (as Rose Theatre) |
| Architect | J A Arnott and J Inch Morrison |
| Website | |
| www | |
History
The building was opened as a church in 1912 with seating for exactly 1,000 people. It was built, on the site of an earlier pedimented 18th century chapel[1], at a cost of £7,250 for a long-standing Baptist congregation which had been established by theologian Christopher Anderson in January 1808.[2]. The architects were J A Arnott and J Inch Morrison. The building was listed on 28 March 1996.[1]
In 2012, the congregation bought the former St George's West Church of Scotland building in Shandwick Place for £1.55m. Senior pastor, Rev Paul Rees, said the Rose Street building was not fit for the congregation's needs while the Shandwick PLace building gave them a larger and more flexible space.[3]
In 2014, an application was made to convert the building to a ‘superpub’, but this was refused by City of Edinburgh Council. However, in 2016, a new application by Glendola Leisure Ltd, owners of Waxy O'Connors pub in Glasgow, to turn the building into a restaurant and apartment building was accepted. The ground floor was to be a 124 cover restaurant, while the basement was to have restaurant space for 64 and room for 48 standing at the bar. There were to be 22 serviced apartments in the space above, with two new floors created, including a guest lounge on the first floor.[4]
However, a different plan was eventually enacted, when a £1.8m development of a new theatre and performing arts centre by Danish ballet dancer and director Peter Schaufuss was accepted.[5] The converted building features four performance spaces, including a 300 seat main hall, a basement space for 120, a 100 seat studio, and an attic with a capacity of 50. It opened at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, programmed by Gilded Balloon who put on a mixed bill of 40 productions, including comedian Craig Ferguson.[6]
Shortly after that initial Fringe, Gilded Balloon announced a year round programme, including theatre in the main hall and comedy in the basement.[7]
Design
The building is a four storey, five bay stripped Wrennaissance chapel and meeting halls, built of polished sandstone ashlar, with harled secondary elevations.[1]
External links
References
- "Rose Street, Charlotte Street Baptist Chapel". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
- "Charlotte Chapel - History". Charlotte Chapel. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
- Swanson, Ian (27 July 2012). "Baptists raise £1.3m to buy new church in just two weeks". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
- Stephen, Phyllis (22 February 2016). "Charlotte Baptist Chapel to become a restaurant with rooms". Edinburgh Reporter. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
- Miller, Phil (10 March 2016). "Plan for £1.8m new theatre in heart of Edinburgh gets green light". The Herald. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
- Dibdin, Thom (20 April 2017). "Gilded Balloon launch Rose Theatre at Edinburgh Fringe 2017". The Stage. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
- Peacock, Robert (23 October 2017). "Rose Theatre launches inaugural season". The Wee Review. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
