Balcony Seating Replaement Project

To install 274 seats into the balcony of our Assembly Hall, re-tiering and improving comfort, sight lines and safety. The original bench seating became dilapidated and dangerous and was removed in the late 1960s. Since this time, despite being structurally sound, the balcony has been mostly out of use. Without seats and flooring, the area does not meet health and safety regulations. The Hall has a potential capacity of 800 people but can only fit 500 at stalls level. The Assembly Hall is a purpose built Victorian audience hall. One of the largest of its kind in London, it is the only one not demolished or closed out of six 800+ seat venues that originally formed part of a vibrant entertainment scene in East London up until the 1940s. Today there is a demand for using the space at full capacity. Re-installing these seats is central to our plans to return the Hall to its former glory as a community and entertainment hub for the first time since the 1950s.