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BBC News
9 hours ago
- BBC News
Tyne Theatre break-in will hurt charity, says CEO
A "reckless and senseless" break-in at a theatre will leave it suffering financially, its chief executive has at Newcastle's Tyne Theatre and Opera House has been estimated at thousands of pounds, he and volunteers discovered smashed glass and stolen stock when they arrived at the 1867 Café Bar at the Grade I listed building on Westgate Road on Higgins said the Tyne Theatre and Opera House Preservation Trust faced the difficult decision of either making an insurance claim, resulting in increased premiums, or spending its "hard-earned and donated money" on the damage. Mr Higgins said the damage could not be fixed quickly and easily due to the building being listed."The bottom line is that the charity will suffer as a result of this," he said."It's not like just chucking a bit of glass in your house, it has got to be the right stuff which makes it expensive."Any insurance claim we make has a direct effect on our premiums, so the small charity is faced with difficult decisions of making a claim or the charity has to spend its hard-earned and donated money by an act of depravity." Significant damage was caused to the cafe, which opened last December and is named after the date the theatre originally of pounds worth of stock was also stolen from its Higgins said a rock had been used to break through the main glass said a "significant amount of blood" had been left inside and so remaining drink stock had to be thrown out due to contamination. The theatre's box office also had to close but its other bars and foyer box office are still open."We are a charity and we are only here to preserve and develop this Grade I listed heritage theatre for the good of Newcastle and the surrounding communities," Mr Higgins said. The building, which has welcomed the likes of Tom Allen, Julian Clary and Sara Millican to its stage, was funded by Victorian industrialist Joseph Cowen who envisaged a "theatre for the people". During much of the 20th Century it operated as a cinema called the Stoll Picture Theatre, which closed in reopened as a theatre in 1983 but was plagued by financial 2008 it was purchased by Newcastle City Council, which transferred the freehold ownership to the Tyne Theatre and Opera House Preservation Higgins said staff were "thankful for all the messages of support" the theatre had received. "We are also so touched that the theatre really sits in the heart of Geordies and the wider community." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
15-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Wentworth Woodhouse celebrates European heritage award
A restoration project at a historic country house in Rotherham has won a European heritage Preservation Trust at Wentworth Woodhouse has transformed the Grade II* listed Camellia House which is home to some of the oldest surviving camellia plants in the Western project had previously won a national accolade in the Georgian Group's 2024 Architectural the Camellia House has been selected as one of the 30 outstanding winners of the European Heritage Awards Europa Nostra Awards which identify and promote best practice in the conservation and enhancement of cultural heritage. The Camellia House underwent a £5m restoration funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic England and other building had stood as a roofless ruin on the Heritage At Risk register, but has become a public tearoom and heritage was the only project in the UK and one of only three winners outside of the EU Creative Europe Programme, which co-funds the awards jury, made up of 11 heritage experts from across Europe, said: "The revival of a rare camellia collection and the integration of energy-efficient features demonstrate a balanced approach to horticultural, architectural and environmental heritage."The winners will be celebrated at the European Heritage Awards Ceremony 2025 on October 13 during the European Cultural Heritage Summit in Brussels. Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust chief executive Sarah McLeod said: "We are bursting with pride to be heading to Brussels to receive this highly respected European heritage award."An exceptional conservation team collaborated to take our Camellia House from a roofless wreck in danger of collapsing, back to its original grace and beauty - and vastly improved its sustainability and green credentials."Dorian Proudfoot, chief executive of Donald Insall Associates, the architects behind the renovation, said: "It is incredibly rewarding to see our client's vision to create an inclusive, world-class destination being recognised in Europe's most prestigious heritage award." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
