Alexandra Theatre

About

The Alexandra Theatre is an entertainment complex in Market Street, Newton Abbot, Devon, England. The structure, which was commissioned as a corn exchange and is currently used as a cinema, is a Grade II listed building.

History: The building was commissioned as a corn exchange by the Newton Abbot local board. It formed part of a broader programme of improvements, which also included a new market hall, and, after being authorised by act of parliament in 1868, was facilitated by diverting the River Lemon into a culvert. The building was designed by a local architect, John Chudleigh, in the Italianate style, built in limestone and was completed in 1871. The design involved a three-stage tower facing west down Market Street. The first stage involved a round headed opening with voussoirs and a keystone surmounted by a date stone. The second stage involved a round headed recess containing an oculus, while the third stage involved a pair of round headed windows. The tower was surmounted by a modillioned cornice and a shallow pyramid-shaped roof. The side elevations, of five bays on either side, featured tall round headed windows with voussoirs and keystones. The volume of corn changing...