About Us

THE GRAND PAVILION

Our Heritage

The Grand Pavilion was originally built in 1910 by Architect John Nuttall to offer leisure and entertainments to tourists visiting the popular spa village of Matlock Bath. Throughout history the building has remained an integral part of community activity.

For many years the building fell into terrible disrepair, but community support to save the building was unprecedented. It resulted in the formation of our charity to secure the buildings future with a vision to restore it for future generations to enjoy and to enhance tourists experiences by providing everyone the opportunity to see shows and attend events they would otherwise need to travel to neighbouring towns and cities to see.

THE GRAND PAVILION

A historical venue

Today The Grand Pavilion is owned and operated by a charity set up to protect and restore this historically important community building, protecting its legacy as a vibrant and interesting venue, and ensuring its viability for today and into the future.

Over the years the building has been used for many purposes, including use as a glove factory, office space and more recently a nightclub, but it’s always remained a significant part of community life, and thrives as a multi-purpose entertainments space.

When our charity acquired the building from the local council in 2010 it was left in quite a state, and the cost of refurbishing it seemed an impossible dream. Despite the sheer scale of the project and with an overwhelming amount of support from our community, we are beginning to reap the benefits of many years hard work and investment.

the grand pavilion matlock bath

THE GRAND PAVILION

Restoration

By 2012 the building was open for it’s first public event, and we have since been successful at implementing our strategy, of making best possible use of our rooms and spaces to generate an income, that is immediately re-invested into improving our facilities and buildings infrastructure.

Our dedicated works team and volunteers work extremely hard in bringing more of the building back into use every day, and work is always underway behind the scenes to secure further investment and funding, that will enable us to fully restore this magnificent Edwardian building. Until then we are proud to operate The Grand Pavilion in its ‘little bit scruffy’ condition.

LOOKING BACK

Our History

1910's

Architect John Nutall was commissioned by the local council to build a new public multipurpose building in Matlock Bath. ‘The Kursaal’ (a name that was later replaced with ‘Pavilion’) opened its doors to its first customers in 1910, costing the council circa £10,000 to build.

In July 1914 WWI was declared and the building was soon re-purposed for billeting troops, military offices, a small picture house which entertained the local community through the war, and later a glove factory.

1920's

Post war the building continued to show films but the finances were causing serious concern amongst the local Council. The glove factory, which began trading in the Pavilion during the war as a way of providing more employment, relocated into its own premises. Matlock Bath faced a slump in trade and the building was facing imminent closure, as it was unable to prove that it had a viable future, but the council was determined it would stay as a community venue.

1930's

The 30s began with a ‘Great Exhibition’, which was attended by thousands of people & proved that the building still had potential as a community venue. The Pavilion was advertised as hireable space for events and gatherings.

In 1936 Matlock Cinemas, leased the building from the local Council. This turned out to be a successful tenancy & ran until the late 1930’s.

WWII was declared in September 1939. The County A.R.P. Controller informed the Council that an air-raid warning siren was to be installed at the building.

1940's

During WWII the building was once again used to support the nation’s serving forces through various events such as patriotic films shows and fundraising concerts and by providing space for serving officers to organise and feed their men.

After the disruption of the war the building began declining but continued to be the areas primary venue for entertainment & saw a variety of prestigious events over the years.

the grand pavilion matlock bath ballroom 1930

1950's

Throughout the 50’s the building continued to be used for entertaining visitors to the area and served the local community well. It continued to host dances, theatre performances and films. The Matlock Bath & District Musical Festival was resurrected, and proved to be a very popular annual event for many years.

The Council set up offices here, and moved in a branch of the local library. Despite its popularity the Grand Pavilion continued to run at a loss.

1960's

Due to it’s increasing popularity as a tourist destination Matlock Bath underwent significant re-development in the 60’s. The Grand Pavilion continued its use as a multipurpose building, hosting exhibitions, boxing events, orchestral performances, and big band dance nights.

The late 60’s saw the rise of popular blues bands such as Georgie Fame and numerous rock bands take to the stage, including Cream, Pretty Things and Reg Dwight.

1970's

Phil Grey a local entrepreneur and entertainment fanatic signed a 20 year lease to run the building which was then in general poor condition. Phil Grey ran the building very successfully and attracted some world famous acts to perform at the Pavilion.

In 1979 The Mining Museum was granted it’s first lease of the ground floor space & opened the Peak District Mining Museum. Today’s Cafe was used as a tourist information office.

1980's

During the 80’s The Grand Pavilion continued to host well-known touring bands, but also saw the rise of the disco scene. The building was regularly used for disco nights, wresting events, Miss Derbyshire competitions, flea markets, darts leagues and other community events. The late 80’s saw the introduction of The Pav Nightclub.

The building infrastructure continued to deteriorate and it wasn’t long before the building required substantial investment to secure its future.

1990's

The Building undergoes a refurbishment costing £27,000 but soon after the council declares it would need a further sum of £1.7 million to bring the building back to scratch.

In 1993 Phil Grey dies suddenly and his wife takes on the building lease. With late night entertainment increasing in popularity The PAV Nightclub has many successful years in the building, loved by many but quickly developing a notorious reputation.

the grand pavilion matlock bath entrance 1970

2000's

After a good run ‘The PAV’ Nightclub was renamed ‘Brodies’ in an attempt to rebrand & revive the night scene. In 2010 the building and nightclub was closed and with spiralling maintenance costs the Council started a consultation that looked at the disposal of the building from their 100 year ownership.

In 2012 a group was created to support local desire for the building to remain a community asset. This action later brought together the formation of the charity ‘The Grand Pavilion Ltd’, who purchased the building for £1 under the objective of restoring and returning it to community use. The charity applied for a grant to The Heritage Lottery Fund, which was hoped would inject much needed investment into the building. Sadly this was declined.

2020

During Covid, The Grand Pavilion was forced to close for lockdown periods as required by law, but we were able to carry out some much needed renovations during this time of closure. The Grand Hall underwent a big project to remove all the plaster and what was revealed underneath has been astonishing. Some of the original features around the stage have been uncovered and are still being updated but this much loved space is beginning to sing once again. 

TODAY

Our charity ‘The Grand Pavilion Ltd’ continues its work in fundraising, repairing & restoring this historical building. By running exciting events, expanding our regular programming and recruiting new members and volunteers, we are aiming grow our offering as a hub for The Arts and for education while preserving our historical relevance to the community. With investment, The Grand Pavilion has the potential to help present Matlock Bath as an event more enticing place for locals and tourists to visit year-round. 

We see a bright future future ahead! You can help by becoming a member, volunteering, or donating to the cause.

2020

During Covid, The Grand Pavilion was forced to close for lockdown periods as required by law, but we were able to carry out some much needed renovations during this time of closure. The Grand Hall underwent a big project to remove all the plaster and what was revealed underneath has been astonishing. Some of the original features around the stage have been uncovered and are still being updated but this much loved space is beginning to sing once again. 

TODAY

Our charity ‘The Grand Pavilion Ltd’ continues its work in fundraising, repairing & restoring this historical building. By running exciting events, expanding our regular programming and recruiting new members and volunteers, we are aiming grow our offering as a hub for The Arts and for education while preserving our historical relevance to the community. With investment, The Grand Pavilion has the potential to help present Matlock Bath as an event more enticing place for locals and tourists to visit year-round. 

We see a bright future future ahead! You can help by becoming a member, volunteering, or donating to the cause.