Once the centrepiece of Morecambe’s entertainment scene, the Winter Gardens opened in 1897 and has since hosted performances from The Who and Vera Lynn among may noted artists. The theatre retains much of its original charm – from ornate plasterwork on the ceiling to intricate mosaic floors – making it a time capsule of the cultural history of the North of England. In its prime during the early 1900s, the venue hosted twice-daily shows and winter pantomimes, but by the mid-1970s, it had fallen into decline. Most of the complex was demolished, leaving only the Victoria Pavilion Theatre standing in disrepair.
Since 2006, the Friends of the Winter Gardens trust has worked to revive the Grade II listed building. In 2024, their efforts took a leap forward with the launch of a £2.7m restoration project, funded by a grant from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. A critical part of the restoration involved the sound system, needing to be able to support the current events programme and expand as the venue grows. For this, KV2 Audio was chosen to play a key role in the theatre’s future.
‘We needed to provide a good starting system for the trust, which could scale with the changing needs and capacity of the building,’ begins Rob Crossland, Engineering Manager at Adlib – the integrator handling the project. ‘Despite being a 2,500-capacity room, the current capacity is restricted to 400 by local authorities. The trust wanted a system that could cater to their present needs but also evolve with the theatre. Our goal was to cover the entire stalls area with as few loudspeakers as possible, keeping costs down and reducing complexity.’
Adlib chose two KV2 ESR215MkII full-range loudspeakers and an ESR3000 amplifier, mounted on 1m-high risers to provide FOH sound in a dual mono configuration. The PA is served by an Allen & Heath SQ5 console.
‘After demoing the ESR215MkII, I was really impressed,’ Crossland says. ‘The audio quality, ease of use, and compact design made it a perfect fit for Morecambe Winter Gardens. Despite the large space, just two enclosures deliver excellent coverage, and the system’s smooth frequency response is ideal for theatre applications. Plus, it’s future-proof – eventually, we can fly the system and add more components like subwoofers or delay speakers.’
In 2006, when the Friends of Morecambe Winter Gardens became the Morecambe Winter Gardens Preservation Trust Limited, work to save the building began. Between 2020 and 2023, they secured 11 grants totalling more than £1.4m, which enabled critical safety and restoration work.
With the restoration in full swing, the new KV2 sound system is already attracting higher-profile events. Folk quartet Wayward Jane will be the first to test the system in November, blending American folk with traditional music in a nod to the venue’s history. It’s hoped that other acts will soon follow, continuing Morecambe Winter Gardens’ legacy of hosting world-class performances.
‘From the demo to delivery, KV2 exceeded expectations,’ Crossland reports. ‘The personal service and commitment to quality were exactly what we needed for this unique project. Morecambe Winter Gardens presents many of the acoustic challenges you’d expect from a large, reverberant, historic building, but the KV2 system has proven to be a perfect solution. We’re excited to see how it enhances performances as the restoration progresses.’
