The Point, Eastleigh

The Point, Eastleigh is a theatre and dance centre in Eastleigh, Hampshire, England, operating under the auspices of Eastleigh Borough Council. It occupies the town's former Victorian town hall on Leigh Road and is dedicated to contemporary performance and contemporary dance, alongside theatre, 35mm film screenings, light entertainment and community activities. The venue is a welcoming and inclusive cultural community hub providing opportunities to experience creativity in all its forms, presenting live performances, classes, residencies and hands-on activities for the local community. The building has deep civic roots. After significant industrial growth in the late 19th century, particularly following the establishment of the Eastleigh Works railway carriage building facility in 1891, the area became an urban district in 1899. Civic leaders procured offices on open land at the corner of Leigh Road and Romsey Road. Following a design competition with 36 entries, Mitchell, Son and Gutteridge of Southampton was selected as architect; the foundation stone was laid by the mayor, Councillor H. T. Willmer, in 1898. The Victorian-style red brick building with stone dressings was completed in 1899 at a cost of £4,500. A concert hall was added to the east in 1928, and the building became the town hall for the new municipal borough of Eastleigh in 1936, ceasing to be the local seat of government after new civic offices were completed further west along Leigh Road in 1974. Following a successful application for support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the buildings were converted into a theatre known as The Point in 1997. A new 375-square-metre studio space and accommodation area, built at a cost of £2.5 million and known as the Creation Space, was inaugurated by the dancer Akram Khan in November 2009. The Point's sister venue, The Berry Theatre in Hedge End, was opened by the actor and director Samuel West in April 2011. The Point hosted the BBC's topical debate programme Question Time on 22 January 2015, and its foyer and café bar were refurbished later that year. A fundraising project was launched in 2019. Today The Point presents a year-round programme of theatre, 35mm (non-digital) film, light entertainment and contemporary dance performance. Every summer it runs a free outdoor festival known as Eastleigh Unwrapped and operates a summer social season marketed to local residents. The venue is within easy walking distance of Eastleigh bus and railway station and within a five-minute drive of the M3 and M27 motorways, and it offers Friend memberships, volunteering and creative opportunities, and a mailing list for new shows and special offers.

The Point occupies a building with a long civic history in Eastleigh, Hampshire. After significant industrial growth in the late 19th century, particularly after the railway carriage building facility, Eastleigh Works, was established in the town in 1891, the area became an urban district in 1899. In anticipation of this, civic leaders decided to procure civic offices: the site chosen was open land at the corner of Leigh Road and Romsey Road. Following a design competition with 36 entries, Mitchell, Son and Gutteridge of Southampton was selected as the architect. The foundation stone for the new building was laid by the mayor, Councillor H. T. Willmer, in 1898. It was designed in the Victorian style, built in red brick with stone dressings by J. Treherne at a cost of £4,500 and completed in 1899. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with seven bays facing onto Leigh Road with the end bays slightly projected forward as pavilions; the central section featured a doorway flanked by Doric order columns supporting an entablature with a segmental hood which projected forward and there was a clock turret at roof level. The second phase of construction was a concert hall, which was erected to the east of the original building, in 1928. The building became the town hall for the new municipal borough of Eastleigh in 1936 but ceased to be the local seat of government after new civic offices were completed further west along on Leigh Road in 1974. In 1935, a Carnegie library was opened immediately adjacent to the town hall. Built in red brick and in a complementary style, the architect was F. G. Lee. The library relocated to the Swan Centre in the early 1990s. Following a successful application for support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the buildings were converted into a theatre known as The Point in 1997. A new 375-square-metre (4,036-square-foot) studio space and accommodation area, built at a cost of £2.5 million and known as the Creation Space, was inaugurated by the dancer, Akram Khan, in November 2009. The Point's sister venue, the Berry Theatre, was opened in Hedge End by the actor and director, Samuel West, in April 2011. The Point hosted the BBC's topical debate programme, Question Time, on 22 January 2015. Guests included the Liberal-Democrats' Foreign Affairs spokesman, Tim Farron, the Deputy Leader of UKIP, Paul Nuttall, and the candidate for mayor of London, Diane Abbott. The Point's foyer and café bar were refurbished later in 2015 and the venue launched a fund raising project in 2019. The Point presents a year-round programme of theatre, 35mm film (non digital projection), light entertainment and contemporary dance performance. Every summer, The Point runs a free outdoor festival known as Eastleigh Unwrapped, and it also operates a summer social season which markets its activities to local residents.

• 2019

  Venue launched a fund raising project.

• 2015

  Hosted BBC Question Time on 22 January; foyer and café bar refurbished later in the year.

• 2011

  Sister venue The Berry Theatre opened in Hedge End by actor and director Samuel West in April.

• 2009

  Creation Space, a 375-square-metre studio and accommodation area costing £2.5 million, inaugurated by dancer Akram Khan in November.

• 1997

  Buildings converted into a theatre known as The Point following a successful Heritage Lottery Fund application.

• 1974

  Ceased to be the local seat of government after new civic offices were completed further west along Leigh Road.

• 1936

  Building became the town hall for the new municipal borough of Eastleigh.

• 1935

  Carnegie library opened immediately adjacent to the town hall.

• 1928

  Concert hall erected to the east of the original building.

• 1899

  Victorian-style red brick building completed at a cost of £4,500; area became an urban district.

• 1898

  Foundation stone of the new civic building laid by mayor Councillor H. T. Willmer.

• 1891

  Eastleigh Works railway carriage building facility established in the town, spurring industrial growth.

A welcoming and inclusive cultural community hub in a refurbished Victorian town hall, focused on contemporary performance and dance for the local community.

• Theatre performances

• Contemporary dance performances

• 35mm film screenings (non-digital projection)

• Light entertainment

• Classes and residencies

• Eastleigh Unwrapped free outdoor festival

• Summer social season

1. 1The Point Theatre in Eastleigh, Southampton | Comedy, Film, Music,…thepointeastleigh.co.uk
2. 2About Us | The Point Theatre Eastleighthepointeastleigh.co.uk
3. 3Getting Here | The Point Theatre Eastleighthepointeastleigh.co.uk
4. 4The Point, Eastleigh - Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5The Point, Eastleigh - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org