Gallery and Anita's Room
The Gallery Bars and Anita’s Room are new additions to Brighton Dome.
Photography by Carlotta Luke, Andy Stagg and Richard Chivers
The Gallery Bar and Anita’s Room are two new additions to Brighton Dome. Anita’s Room, made possible with support from the Roddick Foundation and named in memory of activist Dame Anita Roddick, is a dedicated creative space for artists to research, experiment and create new work, whilst the Gallery Bar and Festival Bar are ideal for socialising and enjoying a pre-show drink.
November 2023
The completion of Anita’s Room was marked by a visit from Gordon Roddick, husband of Anita Roddick, Brighton & Hove City Council Labour leader, Bella Sankey, and our Chief Executive, Andrew Comben.
October 2023
Anita's Room is now fully equipped with a lighting grid, mixing desk and the latest 5G technology. It can accommodate up to 40 people within its main space, office and kitchen areas.
September 2023
The finished Gallery Bar.
May 2023
An interactive digital timeline in the Gallery Bar will allow visitors to explore Brighton Dome’s rich heritage.
May 2023
Architectural design studio Drinkall Dean used the Corn Exchange’s history as a riding house as inspiration for the Gallery Bar’s décor and installed a spectacular golden horse sculpture by West Sussex-based artist Graham Heeley.
April 2023
Work on the Festival Bar is complete. The wallpaper, designed by artist Mike McInnerney, who has created album art for The Who, is based on the poster for the very first Brighton Festival in 1967.
September 2022
Flooring was installed in Anita's Room
September 2022
The exterior of the Studio Theatre and New Road Offices were cleaned and restored. Originally outdoors, these structures now form part of the interior to the rear of the Gallery Bar.
May 2021
Preperations were made for putting the ceiling in Anita's Room.
April 2019
Wooden beams are put in place as work starts on the ceiling of the Festival Bar.
March 2019
Work on Anita's Room was well underway.
October 2018
The steel structure for the new space was installed, and the scaffolding started to go up for the walls and roofing to be put in.
May 2018
Each level of the new space, which would become the Festival and Gallery Bars and Anita's Room were boarded out, as preparations started for the glass roof to be installed.
March 2018
All of the steel structure for the Gallery has been installed now, with scaffolding starting to go up for the walls and roofing to be put in.
January 2018
The structure of the new space was put in place along one side.
November 2017
Work began on putting foundations in place, particularly for the below-ground level.
July 2017
During building works, there was a fascinating discovery of 18 burials, which were later found to have been part of a Quaker burial ground from before Brighton Dome was built by the Prince Regent.
July 2017
Spaces beneath the Corn Exchange windows (east) were dug out to frame new and existing entrances between the Corn Exchange and Festival Bar.