Joe GallopHistoric England has awarded a £550,000 grant to London independent venue Alexandra Palace (cap. 10,250) to begin work to bring a derelict section of the Palace’s East Wing back into use.
The work marks the next phase of the Palace’s East Wing restoration project that in the last five years has reopened the venue’s Theatre and East Court.
The grant comes in Ally Pally’s 150th anniversary year and the 25th year of Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register.
The funding will enable the Palace team to stabilise the North East Office Building (pictured), which is the last remaining “truly inaccessible area” in the seven-acre site.
The structural work – which includes removing decayed brickwork and timber, removing and storing of historic roof lanterns, and installing a new roof covering – is due to commence in early December and is expected to take four months.
Ally Pally’s Victorian Theatre reopened in 2018 following 80 years of closure, alongside the transformation of the East Court after funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Haringey Council. Since reopening more than 500,000 people have visited the Theatre, which has hosted acts such as Madonna, Stormzy and Ed Sheeran.
The restoration also acted as a catalyst for the Palace’s Creative Learning programme, which now works with 10,000 people each year.
Alexandra Palace and Palace Charitable CEO Emma Dagnes said, “The funding will start us on the journey to bring these spaces back for public benefit, unlocking their potential and enabling us to welcome everyone through our doors with a wider range of activities and programmes.”
The restoration work will be delivered with the support of ROOFF (main contractor), Burrell Foley Fisher (conservation architects); DR Nolans (cost consultants) and The Morton Partnership (structural engineers).