The Palace Theatre is a multi-purpose entertainment arena complex in Green Street,

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock ( ; ; , ), meaning "the church of Mernóc", is a town and former burgh in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. The town has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996 and is the region's main ...

, Scotland. The venue is currently owned by

East Ayrshire Council East Ayrshire Council (Scottish Gaelic: ''Comhairle Shiorrachd Inbhir Àir an Ear'') is the political body covering the East Ayrshire local authority created in 1995, comprising nine wards, each electing three of four local councillors through th ...

, with operation of the theatre and adjoining Grand Hall being the responsibility of the executive council body, East Ayrshire Leisure. Since its original opening in 1863, the building has gone through various renovations and usage changes, most notably in 1951, when it re–opened as the Exchange Theatre. Additional renovations to the building occurred in 1982, and currently, between 2023–2025 as part of the Cultural Kilmarnock Project. The structure, which was originally opened as a

corn exchange A corn exchange is a building where merchants trade grains. The word "corn" in British English denotes all cereal grains, such as wheat and barley; in the United States these buildings were called grain exchanges. Such trade was common in towns ...

, is a Category A

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

as designed by

Historic Environment Scotland Historic Environment Scotland (HES) () is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the merger of government agency Historic Sc ...

, who describe the building as " one James Ingram's finest designs in Kilmarnock".

History

Corn Exchange

In the mid-19th century, a group of local businessmen formed a company, The Corn Exchange Company, to finance and erect a corn exchange for the town. The site they selected on Green Street had originally been a public bleaching green before being occupied by the local fish market. The Corn Exchange opened on 16 September 1863 and served as the principal business space in Kilmarnock for farmers and merchants. The facade of the building is dominated by a 110-foot-tall clock tower which was named in order to commemorate

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Alb ...

, the Prince Consort, who died in 1861. To allow for the construction of the tower to take place, the tower was funded through a public subscription of £600. After securing funds, the clock was designed and constructed by John Cameron, jeweller and watchmaker situated on King Street. The sculpted heads over the main entrance represent Prince Albert,

Sir James Shaw Sir James Shaw, 1st Baronet (26 August 1764 – 22 October 1843), became Lord Mayor of London in 1805. (Requires login or UK library card for access) From humble beginnings in a farming family in Ayrshire, he became a successful merchant and ...

, the Kilmarnock-born

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...

, and Lord Clyde, a Scottish hero of the Crimean War and Indian Mutiny. The ground floor of the Corn Exchange which looked towards Green Street consisted of a number of shops and also housed a public library on the upper floor of the building. The upper floor which faces towards London Road contained the Athenaeum reading room. The final cost for the construction of the Corn Exchange was estimated to be just over £6,000. The opening of the Corn Exchange was commemorated by two performances conducted by the Kilmarnock Philharmonic Society of ''

Judas Maccabaeus (Handel) ''Judas Maccabaeus'' ( HWV 63) is an oratorio in three acts composed in 1746 by George Frideric Handel based on a libretto written by Thomas Morell. The oratorio was devised as a compliment to the victorious Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cum ...

'' by

Thomas Morell Thomas Morell (; 18 March 1703 – 19 February 1784) was an English librettist, classical scholar, and printer. It was always originally intended that the Corn Exchange was also to be a place of entertainment, as well as business, and it was available for concerts, bazaars, political meetings and other activities. The main hall of the Corn Exchange could accommodate 1,200 people, and the main hall also housed a pipe organ at one end of the hall.

Design and opening

The building was designed by James Ingram in the

Italianate style The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Ita ...

, built in red

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

and was officially opened on 16 September 1863. The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage on the corner of London Road and Green Street. It featured a four stage tower, known as the "Albert Tower", at the corner with wings of nine bays extending down London Road and of thirteen bays extending down Green Street. The tower featured three round headed doorways in the first stage, three round headed windows with

architrave In classical architecture, an architrave (; , also called an epistyle; ) is the lintel or beam, typically made of wood or stone, that rests on the capitals of columns. The term can also apply to all sides, including the vertical members, ...

keystones A keystone (or capstone) is the wedge-shaped stone at the apex of a masonry arch or typically round-shaped one at the apex of a vault. In both cases it is the final piece placed during construction and locks all the stones into position, allo ...

and a

balcony A balcony (from , "scaffold") is a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade, usually above the ground floor. They are commonly found on multi-level houses, apartme ...

in the second stage, the burgh

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

and a

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...

inscribed with the motto "The Earth is the Lords and the Fullness Thereof" in the third stage, and a

belfry The belfry /ˈbɛlfri/ is a structure enclosing bells for ringing as part of a building, usually as part of a bell tower or steeple. It can also refer to the entire tower or building, particularly in continental Europe for such a tower attached ...

in the fourth stage, all surmounted by a

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

. The wings were fenestrated by segmental headed windows on the ground floor and by round headed windows with architraves and keystones on the first floor. At roof level, the wings were surmounted by

balustraded A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its c ...

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...

s which were decorated by

urn An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape ...

Redevelopment

The building was extended along London Road by extra eight bays to a design by Robert Ingram in 1886. The use of the building as a corn exchange declined significantly in the wake of the Great Depression of British Agriculture in the late 19th century, and it was therefore converted into a music hall in 1903. In the 1940s, extensive internal alterations were carried out to a design by Gabriel Steel to create the Grand Hall.

Cinema and theatre

The first films were shown at the Corn Exchange as early as 1897, and by 1911, they were a regular feature of the programme of entertainment offered at the venue. By the 1930s, the venue had become used exclusively a cinema under the name Palace Picture House. A state- of-the-art sound system was installed in order for the new ‘talkies’ system to be used which saw a recording of the film soundtrack being played over a gramophone which was synchronised with the projector. Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Palace Picture House failed to compete with more modern and more comfortable cinemas in Kilmarnock, such as the Regal Cinema and the Plaza. As a result, it closed in 1949. The venue was vacant until a gift of £5,000 towards its refurbishment prompted the Council to spend a further £30,000 in order to redevelop the venue and bring it back into public use. By 1951, the venue re–opened as the 625-seater Exchange Theatre, with Mr Kurt Lewenhak being appointed manager of the Exchange Theatre, at a salary of £650. Originally, The Exchange was intended to be a civic theatre that would feature programmes which would showcase local talent. Early shows included the Kilmarnock Amateur Opera Society’s production of ''Rio Rita'', the Saxone Dramatic Club’s production of Allan Ramsay’s 1725 play ''The Gentle Shepherd'', Kilmarnock Combined Dramatic Clubs’ production of ''Dear Brutus'', and Henry Cotton’s ''Golf Show''. The first major production was a variety show entitled ''Merry-go-Round – ‘the show with a swing to it’'' which opened on 20th June 1951, and ran for a total of eight weeks with regular changes of content. Despite a successful opening night, the show was deemed to be unsuccessful and saw the Exchange Theatre operating on a loss of an average of £372 a week. In 1979, the theatre was severely damaged by fire, and eventually re–opened to the public on 4 September 1982 following a programme of repairs costing £190,000, with a variety show for charity starring Johnny Beattie, Joe Gordon and Sally Logan. Following further improvements, the Palace was formally re-opened on 31 August 1985 by comedian

Billy Connolly Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, musician, television presenter, artist and retired stand-up comedian. He is sometimes known by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his idiosyncratic and of ...

Cultural Kilmarnock project

In December 2023, the Palace Theatre closed temporarily in order for the complex to undergo restoration work as part of the Cultural Kilmarnock Project following allocation of £20 million in funding from the

UK Government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

as part of the Levelling Up Programme funds, along with the Dick Institute and the Grand Hall. The project consists of a process of major reimagining of the Palace Theatre and Grand Hall in order to create a "regional concert hall and theatre with extensive improvements to the accessibility and energy efficiency".

In popular culture

The glam rock band

The Sweet Sweet (known as the Sweet until the early 1970s) are a British glam rock band who rose to prominence in the 1970s. Their best-known line-up consisted of lead vocalist Brian Connolly, bassist Steve Priest, guitarist Andy Scott and drummer ...

wrote their song "

The Ballroom Blitz "The Ballroom Blitz" is a song by British glam rock band The Sweet, written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. The song reached number one in Canada, number two in the UK Singles Chart and the Australian Chart, and number five on the US Billboard H ...

" about an incident, in January 1973, when they were bottled off the stage during a performance in the building. After a serious fire in 1979, the building was restored and re-opened by

in August 1985. In 2022, the Grand Hall hosted an episode of the 2022

BBC New Comedy Award The BBC New Comedy Award first took place in 1995, and it is considered to be one of the top UK comedy newcomer awards. It was axed in 2006, being replaced by a nationwide talent hunt that places its emphasis on sketch writing and filmed perfor ...

Events

The Palace Theatre and/or the Grand Hall has played host to shows by the following: *

Kevin Bridges Kevin Andrew Bridges (born 13 November 1986) is a Scottish stand-up comedian. His 2012 television series ''Kevin Bridges: What's the Story?'' was based on his stand-up routines. He has appeared on many television panel shows, including '' Woul ...

Calvin Harris Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris (and sometimes under the stage name Love Regenerator), is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter. His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'' (2007 ...

Gerry Cinnamon Gerard Crosbie (born 1 October 1984), professionally known as Gerry Cinnamon, is a Scottish singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist. In 2020 his second album, ''The Bonny'', reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and became the third bigges ...

Dorothy Paul Dorothy Paul (born 1937 as Dorothy Pollock) is a Scottish stage and screen actress, comedian, and entertainer. She performed onstage often at the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow. Acting career Originating from the Dennistoun area of Glasgow, she ...

Johnny Marr John Martin Marr (Birth name#Maiden and married names, né Maher; born 31 October 1963) is a musician, songwriter and singer. He first achieved fame as the guitarist and co-songwriter of the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. He has sinc ...

Primal Scream Primal Scream are a Scottish rock music, rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie (vocals) and Jim Beattie (musician), Jim Beattie (guitar). The band's current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes (guitar), Simon ...

The View ''The View'' is an American talk show created by broadcast journalist Barbara Walters. , in its 28th season, the show has aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC as part of the network's ABC Daytime, daytime programming block since August ...

Kasabian Kasabian ( ) are an English rock band formed in Leicester in 1997 by lead vocalist Tom Meighan, guitarist and second vocalist Sergio Pizzorno, guitarist Chris Karloff and bassist Chris Edwards. Drummer Ian Matthews joined in 2004. Karloff ...

Happy Mondays Happy Mondays are an English rock band formed in Salford in 1980. The original line-up consisted of brothers Shaun Ryder (vocals) and Paul Ryder (bass), Gaz Whelan (drums), Paul Davis (keyboard), and Mark Day (guitar). Mark "Bez" Berry la ...

The Proclaimers The Proclaimers are a Scottish Rock music, rock duo formed in 1983 by twin brothers Craig and Charlie Reid (born 5 March 1962). They came to attention with their 1987 single "Letter from America (song), Letter from America", which reached No. 3 ...

BBC New Comedy Awards The BBC New Comedy Award first took place in 1995, and it is considered to be one of the top UK comedy newcomer awards. It was axed in 2006, being replaced by a nationwide talent hunt that places its emphasis on sketch writing and filmed perfor ...

References

{{East Ayrshire Theatres in Scotland Buildings and structures in Kilmarnock Category A listed buildings in East Ayrshire Corn exchanges in Scotland