De la Warr Pavilion

Erich Mendelson’s daring modernist masterpiece, the De La Warr Pavilion, has been restored to its former glory following a Heritage Lottery  funded £8million makeover, is now a first class arts and culture venue.

It houses a 1,000-seat auditorium and one of the largest contemporary art galleries in the South East.  The Pavilion is evolving as an arts and cultural centre, with a gallery, theatre, bars, café and meeting rooms.  The refurbished theatre holds concerts, plays, variety and children’s shows, as well as dances and exhibitions.  The café and restaurant feature local, organic produce, to be sampled on open-air balconies and terrace while there is wheelchair access to all floors.

The work of new and established artists is showcased in the exhibitions areas.  Exhibitions show both professional art and amateur work from the community and the space is available to hire.  The Pavilion has housed all types of art from mind-growing modern performance to local landscape artists.

There could not be more appropriate place to display art than the De la Warr, set by the sea, with its grand, curved form, it is itself like a work of art.

Stars connected to the Pavilion have included the likes of Eddie Izzard and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, who impressed audiences with their talents, and the Duchess of Cornwall, who became the theatre’s president in 2006.

Celebrating 75th Years

The De La Warr Pavilion celebrates its 75th Anniversary this year and they are in good company as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Gene Vincent were all born in 1935, the VW Beetle was launched, the Driving Test was introduced and Alcoholics Anonymous was established!

The Pavilion has launched an anniversary fundraising appeal for the ongoing upkeep and refurbishment of this famous Grade I listed building.  An Anniversary Patron scheme has been introduced and special 75th Anniversary merchandise launched including a limited edition of Edward Wadsworth's sketch for the mural he designed for the Pavilion in 1935. 

The Duchess of Cornwall, visited the Grade I listed building to mark its 75th anniversary on 9 September.

The Duchess viewed the exhibition by Angel of the North sculptor Antony Gormley on the roof.  The 60 life-size cast iron human figures of Critical Mass, one of Gormley’s best-known works, were shown at the De la Warr Pavilion.

The Duchess was also handed an anniversary photograph taken at the Pavilion in August, showing thousands of people crowded in front of the venue in a recreation of a picture taken there in the 1930s.