Welcome to the UK's largest community owned theatre
A project to secure the future of the Hippodrome
"The support we received from the team at Todmorden Hippodrome was vital to the success of Reviving Her. Their eagerness to support local artists and the community is truly inspiring. Todmorden is
fortunate to have such a fantastic space, run by passionate and dedicated people."
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Anna Holmes and Sam Ford
Artistic Directors Northern Rascals
Our ‘Raise The Roof Project’ will extend the theatre, creating a larger foyer and improved entrance areas. New performance, exhibition and rehearsal spaces will be built, along with a home for our incredible archive. We’ll be able to increase the range of events we present and open the theatre more often, securing the future of our Edwardian theatre for our community and volunteers.
Built in 1908, the Hippodrome Theatre is a brick-built Edwardian Variety Theatre. Despite Richard Dewhirst’s vision in creating a venue of this scale in a small West Yorkshire mill town, it struggled to turn a profit. In 1912, an extension was hastily added to house a cinema projection tower, allowing ‘talkies’ alongside live events.
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Ironically, this extension, which saved the Hippodrome in 1912, now threatens its future due to structural issues. After careful consideration, T.A.O.D.S. has decided this is a once-in-a-generation chance to transform the venue.
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While the Edwardian auditorium is beautiful, it doesn’t always suit smaller or informal events. The new ground floor will allow more performances, particularly for our Youth Theatre, and create daytime activity with a dementia café, exhibition space, and access to our archive.
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Accessibility remains a barrier for audiences and volunteers. The new extension will provide a fully accessible ground floor and lifts to the upper floors and stage—making the theatre inclusive for all.
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The upper floors will offer flexible spaces for rehearsals, events, and a cinema, while the top level will become the home for our Youth Theatre, expanding opportunities for young people on waiting lists.
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With strong volunteer and community support, our Raise The Roof Project will create a landmark for the creative arts and opportunities to run one of the UK’s largest community-led venues.
LATEST NEWS
29th October 24
We're delighted to share a new video commissioned to show the impact our volunteer run theatre has on our community and our volunteers. You can view the video above or visit our YouTube page by clicking the link -
1st October 24
We're excited to launch our Raise The Roof Appeal as we ask our amazing community to help us make our amazing project at the Hippodrome a reality.
26th September 24
Great meeting with Storah Architects today as we finalise all the details before we go out to tender on our project. So glad we're using a local firm that understand the unique substrate that Todmorden is built on!
25th September 24
We had an amazing day as we hosted a networking event with the Community Foundation For Calderdale. We met so many local companies and people.
We were also able to share details of our Raise The Roof Project and show a new film we've had commissioned about the impact of the Hippodrome Theatre on our volunteers. We'll be sharing this publicly soon. We rounded the day off with the fantastic news that a CFFC donor had donated £5,000 towards our Raise The Roof Appeal.
​Since 1908, the Hippodrome Theatre has been at the heart of creativity in Todmorden. We’re proud to be the UK’s largest volunteer-run theatre, and now we need your help to secure its future for generations to come.
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Our Raise The Roof project will transform the Hippodrome into a fully accessible, modern community space. We’re planning a new community cinema, more storage and rehearsal areas, and improved accessibility for everyone. Plus, our fantastic Youth Theatre will have room to grow, giving more young people the chance to explore the magic of theatre.
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The project is part of the Todmorden Town Deal and will cost £2.1 million. Thanks to the incredible support of volunteers and donors, we’ve already secured £1.6 million, but we still need to raise the final £500,000 to make this dream a reality.
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As you look around the theatre, you can see the amazing work that past donations have made possible—like our beautiful curtain embroidered with “1908,” restored Edwardian seats in the circle, and our stunning chandelier.
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Now, we’re asking you—our wonderful community—to help us finish the job. Every donation, no matter the size, brings us one step closer to securing the future of the Hippodrome.
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To donate and be part of our exciting future, simply visit our Local Giving Page. For more info or to discuss making a donation, you can contact our Project Manager, Steve, at steve@todhip.org.
Could you become part of our story?
We have a proud history of community support at the Hippodrome. We’re looking for local people and families who may be able to support the project with donations to help us reach our final target, securing the future of the Hippodrome in the heart of our community.
All donations we receive will be publicly acknowledged within the new spaces we create. For more information, please contact our Project Manager, Steve Clarkson by email at steve@todhip.org
We’d love to make you part of our story of community support here at the Hippodrome.
Inspiring the architects of the future
We're delighted to be working in partnership with the Manchester School of Architecture on a project inspired by our Raise The Roof Project. We welcomed almost 100 students and staff to the Hippodrome along with our architects Storah Architecture. Students from MSA will be developing their own ideas and schemes for ways to develop period variety theatre buildings to create sustainable futures for them and we're honoured that they chose the Hippodrome to use as a template. We can't wait to see the ideas they come up with! We were delighted to give them the opportunity to see the original architects plans which we still hold in our archives. They're also carrying out an environmental survey to help us with future ventilation schemes. We're so proud to be supporting the architects of the future and hope they find a passion for working on theatre architecture projects in their professional work.