Rare glimpse inside theatre closed since 1998

The first thing visitors notice is the door.

After 28 years shut, it creaks open to reveal a dark corridor where, as I joined the rare few taking a step inside, paint peels from walls and bare light bulbs hang from the ceiling.

But beyond the signs of decay lies a surprise: an ornate auditorium that has survived decades of neglect and is now at the centre of ambitious plans to bring one of a city's most treasured theatres back to life.

For Barry Green, stepping inside the Queen's Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent for the first time in years was a moment he will not forget.

One of about 100 people given a rare glimpse behind its doors, he said the hairs on the back of his neck stood up when he entered the auditorium.

The theatre holds special memories for him.

As a member of local punk-indie band Cock's Entry, named after a nearby walkway in Burslem, he once performed on its stage.

"Being able to play there was a privilege," he said.

Like many visitors, Green was struck not by how much the building had deteriorated, but by how much had survived.

"I expected pigeons in the rafters, but the ceiling is in good shape," he said.

"The structure looks great, far better than what I expected. It's far bigger than I expected because we went into nooks and crannies I'd never been in before."

Opened in 1911, the Queen's Theatre spent decades hosting plays, concerts and community events.

Among those to tread its boards was a young Robbie Williams, who appeared as the Artful Dodger in a production of Oliver! in 1988.

Since closing 28 years ago, the building has stood silent.

Today, campaigners hope to change that by transforming it into Kilmister Halls, a new entertainment venue honouring Motorhead frontman Lemmy, who was born in nearby Burslem.

Few understand the affection local people still have for the theatre better than Lindsey Glover.

Now a volunteer at Lemmy's Lounge, a community bar set up to support the project, she remembers working behind the bar during boxing promotions held at the venue towards the end of its life.

"It's an absolutely beautiful building," she said. "They don't make buildings like that anymore. The architecture, the marble, the work that must've gone into it."

Walking through the building today was bittersweet, she added.

"It's really sad when you walk through and you remember how it was, but it's also knowing that it is going to be reopened."

Glover recalled busy nights when the auditorium would fill with spectators for boxing events, bringing crowds back into the historic venue.

But, she believes, what lies ahead could eclipse even those memories.

After emerging from the theatre, many visitors continued their conversations in nearby pubs and bars, discussing the building's future and what its revival could mean for Burslem.

For Green, the excitement was impossible to ignore.

"Being my town makes it even more exciting," he said. "We walked out of there buzzing."

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