Historic Globe is restored and ready to bring the stars back to Stockton

A “GAME-CHANGING” restoration of an iconic theatre is now complete.

Efforts to overhaul Stockton’s Globe Theatre to welcome back visitors have taken a decade.

But after four years in the hands of Stockton Council, the finished article on Stockton High Street has now been unveiled with chiefs aiming to welcome stars back to Teesside.

Officials have revealed the first show won’t come to the 3,000 seater venue until September in the wake of the pandemic.

However, the adjoining site, named “The Link”, has a capacity of 200 and will open in mid-July as a venue in its own right.

Plenty of town centre visitors have peered through the Globe’s doors in recent days after its glowing sign was erected this week.

Now finished, it will be the biggest live entertainment venue of its kind between Newcastle and Leeds.

And operator the Ambassador Theatre Group has now taken over the running of the Art Deco site.

The Globe boasts a rich history – playing host to The Beatles, Tina Turner, and Morecambe and Wise to name a few.

Pictures capturing the Fab Four’s visit to the Globe in 1963 adorn the walls of the theatre, as do the Rolling Stones.

Cllr Nigel Cooke, cabinet member for regeneration and housing, said the venue looked “absolutely stunning” and “held a special place in people’s hearts and memories”.

He added:

“Today is about looking forward to exciting times ahead and creating a whole load of new memories for generations to come.

“It won’t be long before we’re welcoming the stars back to Stockton.

“ATG have put together a superb line-up of acts with incredibly broad appeal.

“Paloma Faith was the first act they announced and she sold out within eight hours, which tells you a lot about the level of public appetite that’s out there.

“Since then we’ve seen an array of further acts and shows announced. Among them are Tim Minchin, Diversity, Jools Holland, UB40, We Will Rock You and, of course Status Quo, who some will remember as the last band to rock the Globe in 1974.”

A bumpy road to restoration

The Grade II-listed Globe has stood empty since 1997 – and its restoration has been a bumpy one at times.

Developers Jomast started work on a £4m restoration in 2011 with the council allocating £1m.

This scheme stalled and Stockton Council took the reins of the project in 2016.

Costs then spiralled as the scale of the work required hit home in the following years.

Problems with the roof, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lifts, plumbing, toilet layout and drainage all cropped up as all the layers of the venue were pulled back.

Heritage Lottery Grants and money unveiled by the Government to recover from covid make up more than £5.2m of the Globe’s cost.

But Stockton Council’s contribution makes up the lion’s share of the money for the £27.9m restoration.

Total costs will exceed £30m once rental payments for the site are taken into account.

But bosses are relying on the project bringing an extra 200,000 visitors to the town centre every year to give an annual £18m boost to Stockton’s economy.

Cllr Cooke believed the Globe was an “absolute game-changer” for the area, would put Stockton “back on the map” and pull in visitors from far and wide.

“It will also put an end to local people having to travel elsewhere to see big shows.” he added.

“While so much has changed in the last year or so with the pandemic, this is actually a continuation of the direction we were already headed in, which is one of changing our town centres in the face of rapidly shrinking demand for retail space.

“The pandemic has simply accelerated that need for change, and the need for town centres to have a great leisure offer to pull people in.

“An attraction like the Globe will certainly help us do that.”

A rollercoaster

Globe manager Jo Ager said the team couldn’t wait to throw the doors open to welcome people and show them the venue.

She conceded that tour promoters had taken a “cautious approach” in delaying programming until later this year – confirming the first acts wouldn’t take to the Globe’s stage until September.

But she added fans would be able to see the renovated building “in all its glory” well before then – with the adjoining Link giving Teessiders their live entertainment fix.

She added:

“The Link will open its doors in mid-July, operating as a café, bar and live entertainment venue with an exciting programme of local and emerging artists to be announced shortly.”

The Globe’s rising price-tag has long drawn criticism from opposition councillors about the management of the scheme.

And there have also been doubts about the footfall and economic boosts forecasted.

Councillors agreed an extra £1.2m should be spent on the project last year in response to pandemic pressures.

Cllr Cooke said there would be a minimum of 2,000 people coming to Stockton High Street two or three times a week.

“What’s that going to do for local businesses? I know they’re going to flourish,” he added.

“There are big opportunities there for hospitality and leisure.

“Clearly, the ones which exist are going to do very well – and it might be difficult to get a room at the Hampton by Hilton Hotel when I show is on, so I’d say book early.”

Stockton Council has grand plans for its High Street.

The Castlegate Shopping Centre is to be demolished to make way for a riverside park with retailers shifted to council-owned Wellington Square.

A consultation is also underway on a possible move for the 700-year-old market.

When it came to the Globe project, Cllr Cooke said it had been a “challenging journey”.

“When Ronan Keating stands on that stage in January and sings “Life is a Rollercoaster”, I think I’ll know where he’s coming from.

“It’s been challenging but gosh wasn’t it worth it?”

Cllr Cooke said the project “had cost a good bit” but he believed it would attract the benefits forecasted.

“Experts in the field of restoration can’t point to another restoration project where there hasn’t been unforeseen difficulties and rising costs,” he said.

“To some degree, that goes with the territory.”

The cabinet member added:

“The council in 10 years’ time has the option to buy this lock, stock and barrel at a fixed price based on 2016 valuations.

“When you look at the public purse, you can’t just look at how much this has cost in four years. It’s looking ahead.

“We’ve future-proofed this venue for maybe the next 35 years. It’s looking at that year-on-year income both this theatre generates and the wider economy.

“I’m 61 and if I’m still around in 20 years, I think people will look back and say thank you to Stockton Council for making that tough decision.”

“Politics in 2021 is a place for the brave – one thing I’m sure I wasn’t elected to do was manage decline.

“People look to their civic leaders to protect things like this.”