| Telford Theatre | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2008 | |
| Location | Limes Walk, Oakengates |
| Coordinates | 52°41′45″N2°27′04″W / 52.6958°N 2.4510°W |
| Built | 1968 |
| Architect | Maurice Day |
| Architectural style(s) | Modern style |
  Shown in Shropshire | |
Telford Theatre, formerly Oakengates Town Hall, is an events venue in Limes Walk in Oakengates, a part of the town of Telford, in Shropshire in England.
Following significant population growth, largely associated with the coal mining and iron ore industries, an urban district council was established for Oakengates in 1898. [1] By the mid-20th century, the council had established its offices and chambers in Stafford Road, [2] [3] which it retained as its base until local government re-organisation in 1974. [4] [5] In the 1960s, civic leaders decided that the area needed a public events venue. The site they selected had been occupied by the Great Western Nail Works operated by John Maddock & Co. [6] [7]
The new building was designed by Maurice Day in the modern style, built by Pat Smith & Sons (Oakengates) Limited in concrete, brick and glass and was officially opened by the jockey, Sir Gordon Richards, as "Oakengates Town Hall" on 25 May 1968. [8] The design of the two-storey building involved a long main frontage facing southeast onto Limes Walk with a canted main entrance at the south corner of the building. There was a large canopy projected out over the pavement along the southwest and southeast frontages. [9]
The building became a popular venue for concerts: the rock band, Fleetwood Mac, performed there in May 1969 [10] and the rock and roll band, Showaddywaddy, made the first of several visits in February 1983. [11] [12] As one of the few large events venues in the area, it also became a preferred location for meetings of Telford and Wrekin Council. [13]
A large auditorium was added, with work starting in 1983, [14] and, following further re-modelling, it reopened as "Oakengates Theatre" in 1989. [15] After completion of a further programme of refurbishment works, the building was re-opened by the comedian, Julian Clary, as "The Place" in 2005. [15] The branding was refreshed again and it was renamed "Telford Theatre" in 2022. [16] In 2024, it closed for alterations, to enlarge the main auditorium to seat 750 people, and create a new studio theatre, bar and dining area. [17] [18] [19]
Shropshire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England, on the Welsh border. It is bordered by Wrexham County Borough and Cheshire to the north, Staffordshire to the east, Worcestershire to the south-east, Herefordshire to the south and Powys to the west. The largest settlement is Telford, and Shrewsbury is the county town.
Telford is a town in Shropshire, England. It is the administrative centre of Telford and Wrekin borough, a unitary authority which covers the town, its suburbs and surrounding settlements. The town is close to the county's eastern boundary, and near the River Severn.
Newport is a market town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin in Shropshire, England. It lies 7 miles (11 km) north-east of Telford town centre, 12 miles (19 km) west of Stafford, and is near the Shropshire-Staffordshire border. The 2001 census recorded 10,814 people living in the town's parish, which rose to 11,387 by the 2011 census.
Telford and Wrekin is a borough and unitary authority in Shropshire, England. In 1974, a non-metropolitan district of Shropshire was created called The Wrekin, named after a prominent hill to the west of Telford. In 1998, the district became a unitary authority and was renamed "Telford and Wrekin", which remains part of the Shropshire ceremonial county and shares institutions such as the Fire and Rescue Service and Community Health with the rest the county.
David Wright is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Telford from 2001 until 2015. He was an assistant government whip from June 2009 to May 2010. In May 2019, he was elected as a Labour member of Telford and Wrekin Council, representing St George's ward, and became cabinet member for Economy, Housing, Transport and Infrastructure.
Wellington is a constituent market town of Telford and a civil parish in the borough of Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire, England. It is situated 3 miles (4.8 km) north-west of Telford town centre and 12 miles (19 km) east of Shrewsbury; the summit of The Wrekin lies 3 miles south-west of the town. The population of the town was 25,554 in 2011.
Oakengates is a constituent town of Telford and a civil parish in the borough of Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire, England. The towns parish population was recorded as 8,517 in the 2001 census.
Dawley is a constituent town of Telford and a civil parish in the borough of Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire, England. It was originally, in 1963, going to be the main centre of the 'Dawley New Town' plan before it was decided in 1968 to name the new town as 'Telford', after the engineer and road-builder Thomas Telford. Dawley now forms part of Telford whose town centre is north of Dawley itself.
Telford is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since May 2015 by Lucy Allan, a Conservative, who defeated David Wright, the former Labour Party MP for the seat.
The Wrekin is a constituency in the House of Commons of the British Parliament, located in the county of Shropshire in the West Midlands of England. It has existed continuously since its creation by the Representation of the People Act 1918, and is named after a prominent landmark hill in the area, The Wrekin. It has been represented by the Labour and Conservative parties since the 1920s, a post held since 2005 by Conservative MP Mark Pritchard.
The Wolverhampton–Shrewsbury line is the railway line from Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury via Wellington; it was originally built by the Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway. The line is double track throughout, with rarely used relief sidings at Cosford and four tracks through Wellington station.
Ketley is a large village and part of Telford in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. It is a civil parish. Immediately to the north of Ketley is Hadley.
Telford and Wrekin Council elections are held every four years. Telford and Wrekin Council is the local authority for the unitary authority of Telford and Wrekin in the ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. Until 1 April 1998 it was a non-metropolitan district. Since the last boundary changes in 2023, 54 councillors have been elected from 32 wards.
Oakengates railway station serves the town of Oakengates, Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire, England. It has two platforms.
Wrockwardine Wood was originally a detached piece of woodland, then a township, formerly belonging to the manor and parish of Wrockwardine. Wrockwardine is located approximately 7 miles west from Wrockwardine Wood.
The Shropshire Islamic Foundation (SIF) is located in the English county of Shropshire.
Telford College is a further education college in Telford, Shropshire, England. It operates from one main site and many in-company training sites and community-based courses spread out across Shropshire and the whole of the United Kingdom. During 2017 the college improved its Ofsted rating to Grade 3.
Telford and Wrekin Council is the local authority of Telford and Wrekin in Shropshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a county council and district council combined.
The Coalport branch line was a standard gauge London and North Western Railway branch line in Shropshire, England, which ran between Hadley Junction near Oakengates on the Stafford to Shrewsbury line and a terminus at Coalport East railway station on the north bank of the River Severn at Coalport.
Dawley Town Hall is an events venue in New Street in Dawley, a settlement in Shropshire, in England.