Leith Theatre

Leith Theatre
Leith Theatre in 2011.
Interactive map of the Leith Theatre area
General information
Location28-30 Ferry Road, Edinburgh, Scotland
Coordinates55°58′33″N 3°10′49″W / 55.97576°N 3.18036°W / 55.97576; -3.18036
Grid referenceNT264764
Current tenantsLeith Theatre Trust
Construction started
1929
Completed
1932
Opened1932
ClientEdinburgh Corporation
OwnerCity of Edinburgh Council
Technical details
MaterialSandstone[1]
Design and construction
ArchitectBradshaw Gass & Hope[2]
Renovating team
ArchitectHolmes Miller[2]
Structural engineerNarro Associates[2]
Services engineerHawthorne Boyle[2]
Quantity surveyorDoig & Smith[2]
Listed Building – Category B
Official name
28-30 Ferry Road
Designated29 April 1977
Reference no.LB27009

Leith Theatre (also known as Leith Town Hall and alternatively, in 1975 and 1976, Citadel Theatre) is a theatre located on Ferry Road in Edinburgh, Scotland. It opened in 1932 and ceased operation in 1988, partially reopening in 2016.

History

Construction

Leith Theatre was a gift from the people of Edinburgh to the people of Leith following the merger of the burgh of Leith into the larger city in 1920.[3][4] It occupies the site of the former North Leith Manse.[1]

Leith Theatre was designed by Bolton-based practice Bradshaw Gass & Hope.[2] Construction started in 1929 and the Theatre opened in 1932.[3][5]

The Town Hall building, which houses the Leith Theatre in its East Wing and the Thomas Morton Hall (named after the shipwright, Thomas Morton) in its West Wing, stands adjacent to the Leith Library.[6]

Operation

In 1941, Leith Theatre was badly damaged by bombing as part of the Second World War and remained closed until 1961.[7][3][2]

The theatre was first used by the Edinburgh International Festival in 1961 for a ceilidh, and from the following year it became the second music venue of the festival, after the Usher Hall.[8][9]

Between 1962 and the end of the 1970s a long series of musicians performed in the theatre including groups like the Amadeus Quartet, Borodin Quartet, the English Chamber Orchestra, and Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, and singers Janet Baker, Teresa Berganza, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Jessye Norman, Peter Pears, Hermann Prey, Irmgard Seefried, and Galina Vishnevskaya.[8] Instrumentalists included Larry Adler, Daniel Barenboim, Alfred Brendel, Benjamin Britten, Julian Bream, Rudolf Firkušný, Annie Fischer, Pierre Fournier, Szymon Goldberg, Leonid Kogan, Radu Lupu, Nikita Magaloff, Jacqueline du Pré, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Rosalyn Tureck. [10][8]

The Leith Town Hall hosted the weightlifting events at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games.[11]

The stage was used by director Yuri Lyubimov.[12]

Over the years the theatre hosted a wide variety of pop artists and bands, including Mott the Hoople, Thin Lizzy and AC/DC.[4][3]

Closure

In the 1980s, usage of Leith Theatre was reduced as a cost saving measure. It was used sporadically throughout the mid-1980s before being closed in 1988.[7][13]

The smaller Thomas Morton Hall portion of the complex remained in use, for receptions and parties.[14][15]

Reopening

Leith Theatre (interior)

The Leith Theatre Trust was organised in 2004 to "facilitate the refurbishment of Leith Theatre, it's [sic] reopening and ongoing management".[16]

One-off events began being held in the Theatre in 2016.[7] In May 2017, Leith Theatre hosted the Hidden Door arts festival.[17] The Hidden Door, which is a volunteer-run arts collective that exposes the hidden spaces of derelict buildings by using them as temporary performance venues, returned to the Leith Theatre for its May 2018 event.[18][19]

In 2025, the City of Edinburgh Council granted a 50-year lease to Leith Theatre Trust, which had obtained a £4.5 million pledge from the National Lottery Heritage Fund towards the renovation of the theatre. Holmes Miller were appointed architects for the project, which was expected to cost £10 million. The renovation was expected to include roof repairs, new heating and ventilation, soundproofing, improvements to the water supply and new toilets.[20]

In 2026, Leith Theatre secured £5 million of grant funding from the City of Edinburgh Council's Transient Tourist Levy.[7] In the same year, it was removed from the Theatres at Risk Register.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 "28 and 30 Ferry Road, Leith Library (incorporating Registrar's Office), Leith Theatre and Thomas Morton Hall, Porter's Lodge, Gates and Railings; EH6 4AE". Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Stephen, Phyllis (25 November 2025). "Leith Theatre appoints lead architect on revitalisation project". TheEdinburghReporter.co.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "History". Leith Theatre Trust. Archived from the original on 28 November 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  4. 1 2 Swan, Simon. "Leith Theatre / Citadel". The Edinburgh Gig Archive. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  5. ↑ "Leith Theatre". Arthur Lloyd. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  6. ↑ "Leith Theatre Portfolio View". Leith Theatre Trust. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 McLean, Pauline (7 July 2026). "Leith venue removed from theatres at risk register". BBC News. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 Edinburgh International Festival 1967-1976. 1967–1976.
  9. ↑ Bruce, George, Festival in the North. 1975. p. 68-69, 76-77, 82, 84, 87, 91.
  10. ↑ Edinburgh International Festival 1961-6 Souvenir Programmes. 1961–1966.
  11. ↑ "Its a First for Scotland at IXth Commonwealth Games". Leven Mail. 19 February 1969. p. 19. Retrieved 1 January 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. ↑ "Yuri Lyubimov". Herald Scotland. 13 October 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  13. ↑ "Our Story". LeithTheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  14. ↑ "Thomas Morton Hall". Duke Street Events Ltd. 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  15. ↑ "Thomas Morton Hall Portfolio View". Leith Theatre Trust. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  16. ↑ "About: Leith Theatre Trust". Leith Theatre Trust. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  17. ↑ Cooper, Neil (25 May 2017). "Hidden Door finds a new home at Leith Theatre". Sunday Herald. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  18. ↑ McMillan, Joyce; Apter, Kelly; Gordon, Barry (29 May 2018). "Arts review: Hidden Door Festival, Leith Theatre & State Cinema, Edinburgh". The Scotsman. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  19. ↑ "Hidden Door set to return to Leith in 2018". Hidden Door. 1 November 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  20. ↑ Ferguson, Brian (25 November 2025). "Architects unveiled for £10m project to 'reinvent' historic Scottish theatre". The Herald. Glasgow. p. 3.
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