Citadel Arts Centre

About

The Citadel Arts Centre, commonly referred to as The Citadel, is an arts and community centre situated in the centre of St Helens in Merseyside, England occupying a Victorian building on the corner of Waterloo Street and Milk Street. The centre opened in 1988 initially as a popular music venue and theatre. After refurbishment in 2000, it continued to offer a large programme of music, theatre and arts based workshops throughout the week. As of 2016, the space was primarily hired by St Helens Council for its adult social care and health activities. It closed in June 2019 and is due to reopen in September 2022.

The building was originally constructed in 1861 as a music hall/theatre simply named the 'Theatre Royal'. It replaced an unspecified earlier building on the site. The theatre originally had two balconies and a large stage with a small fly tower. It had capacity for over 1,300 people. The remains of the second balcony can still be seen today. The theatre was popular with touring companies and despite numerous different owners it grew in popularity until the venue was deemed to be unfit for purpose. From April to December 1862 the theatre was run by the actor-manager...