Stop 12 - Bristol Hippodrome
Stop 12: Bristol Hippodrome, the 1912 Frank Matcham variety theatre now hosting West End tours. Ornate Edwardian auditorium, domed roof and backstage tours too.
The Hippodrome opened in December 1912 as Bristol’s answer to the West End - a Frank Matcham-designed variety palace with a 1,951-seat auditorium, a genuinely spectacular domed ceiling that once opened to let the cigar smoke out, and a stage big enough to host aquatic shows with actual water. It still hosts the biggest touring musicals to reach the South West.
What to see
The auditorium itself is the draw. Three tiers, Art Nouveau plasterwork, a colossal painted ceiling and a sliding roof (decorative now). Buy a ticket to a show or, better, a backstage tour - tours run roughly monthly on Sundays, take 90 minutes, and include the orchestra pit, the wings, the grid above the stage, and (time permitting) the dome.
Notable past performers: Laurel and Hardy’s last-ever UK appearance, Sarah Bernhardt, Cary Grant (as Archie Leach, in his schooldays), and more recent long-running touring hits of Phantom, Les Miserables, Hamilton.
How long to stay
Ninety minutes for a backstage tour; three hours for an evening show with a drink beforehand on King Street. If you are just passing, allow ten minutes to admire the facade.
Nearby stops
- Stop 11 - College Green is four minutes west.
- Stop 13 - Broadmead and the Horsefair is eight minutes east via Nelson Street.
- Stop 14 - Cabot Circus is fifteen minutes east.
Practical info
Step-free entry at the front doors, accessible seating in the stalls; contact the box office in advance. Two bars inside, both open from an hour before the performance. The pre-theatre pubs on King Street (Llandoger Trow, Old Duke) are a five-minute walk and much better than the chain options nearby.
