Shanklin Theatre

The oldest part of the complex was commissioned as The Shanklin Literary & Scientific Institute. The site selected, which was a prominent location at the top of Steephill Road, was dominated by a windmill in the early 17th century. It was donated to the institute by the lord of the manor, Francis White-Popham of Shanklin Manor. The foundation stone was laid by the local member of parliament, Alexander Baillie-Cochrane, on 6 August 1878. The new building was designed by a local architect, E. G. Cooper, in the neoclassical style, built in ashlar stone and was completed in 1879. The design of the building, which was originally single-storey, involved a symmetrical main frontage of five bays…

The main west-facing façade is in the French neoclassical style and involves five bays. On the ground floor, it is rusticated and projected forward to form a foyer. There is a short flight of steps leading up to three pairs of double panel doors with a wide glass canopy above. On the upper floors, the central section of three bays is slightly projected forward. The central section is fenestrated by cross-windows on the first floor and by bi-partite windows on the second floor, flanked by four Ionic order pilasters supporting a pediment. The outer bays are fenestrated by cross windows on the first floor and decorated by panels containing swags on the second floor. At the rear there is a tall…