Works have commenced on site at Theatre Royal to deliver a comprehensive high level repair works, centred on the complete re-roofing of the building's historic slate roofs. The project tackles severe, active water ingress that had recently forced performance cancellations when water penetrated the building envelope and cascaded into the auditorium.
Gaining safe working access to the expansive roofscape has presented considerable logistical challenges. To enable the stripping and reinstatement of the slating, a complex scaffold structure has been engineered: a major technical achievement in its own right, spanning complex roof forms and neighbouring buildings.
The project involves stripping the failing coverings and fully re-slating the historic pitched roofs, paired with extensive high-level masonry repairs and the overhaul and replacement of defective rainwater goods. Whilst re-roofing opportunity is also being taken to substantially improve the building's thermal performance through the introduction of roof insulation, while two large photovoltaic solar arrays are being installed inline with the slate roof slope to support a lower-carbon operational future.
The renewed slate coverings and robust detailing will deliver a durable, low-maintenance, and high-performance weather envelope. Most critically, the re-roofing works provide long-term security for the delicate decorative plaster ceiling and the historic auditorium below, safeguarding the venue for future generations of theatregoers.
The scheme is supported by Arts Council England, who have awarded a £450,000 grant through their Arts Everywhere Fund, alongside key investment from Portsmouth City Council and the Theatre Trust itself.