Plymouth Athenaeum
Plymouth Athenaeum, located in Plymouth, England, is a society dedicated to the promotion of learning in the fields of science, technology, literature and art.
The Athenaeum building, located at Derry's Cross in Plymouth City Centre, includes a 340-seat auditorium and a local interest library.
History
Founded on 17 October 1812 as the Plymouth Institute, it was soon renamed the Plymouth Institution. The first meetings took place in Catherine Street and later Frankfort Street Art Gallery.Architect and founding member of the Institution John Foulston, who had won a competition to design the Royal Hotel and Theatre group of buildings, designed the building that would become the permanent home of the organisation.
The foundation stone of the Athenaeum, which had a Greek Doric-style facade, was laid on 1 May 1818.
The Devon and Cornwall Natural History Society, formed in 1838, amalgamated with the Plymouth Institution in 1851. The Mechanics' Institute in Princes Street closed in 1899 and a merger with the Plymouth Institution took place.
Foulston's original Athenaeum was destroyed during The Blitz in 1941, resulting in the loss of the Institution's library, art and museum collections.
The Institution was renamed the Plymouth Athenaeum when it moved into its present building on 1 June 1961, which is located on almost the exact location of its pre-Blitz home. The building was designed by Walls and Pearn, local architects, who were also responsible for Plymouth's Pannier Market. It was built with a library, a lecture hall and a 340 seat theatre. The theatre was used as a studio by neighbour Westward Television Studios with a tunnel linking the two together. In 1963 John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison escaped fans by using the tunnel.
Library
Before the Blitz, the Athenaeum library was home to more than 10,000 volumes on topics including science and natural history dating back to the early years of the society in the early 19th century.The library was restored as part of the rebuilt Athenaeum in 1961 and is a full member of the Association of Independent Libraries.
Lectures and talks
During its history, The Plymouth Athenaeum has played host to a number of high-profile lecturers, speakers and guests. These included broadcasters John Snagge and Edgar Lustgarten, Church of England envoy Terry Waite and artist Robert Lenkiewicz.On a more local level, a regular contributor was local historian and academic Mr F S Blight. His presentations included Hail & Farewell to Devonport 1951, Popular Art in Plymouth 1953, Stoke & Morice Town 1951, and Captain Tobias Furneaux 1952. All these talks were released as printed booklets.
Theatre
The rebuilt Athenaeum building included a theatre, being very popular with local dancing schools and Amateur Dramatic groups until its closure due to financial problems in 2009.Performers who took to the stage at the Athenaeum included actress Maggie Steed and poet Pam Ayres. In 1971, with the co-operation of the British Film Institute, a film theatre was created with the construction of a projection room on the roof. Present at the opening night were Malcolm McDowell, Bryan Forbes and Nanette Newman.
The theatre was relaunched in 2016 and opened in 2017. This was made possible through a collaboration with the local Barbican Theatre, a Social Enterprise Investment Fund grant and loan from Plymouth City Council. In 2019 it was announced that The Barbican Theatre and The Plymouth Athenaeum had come together to form the PL1 Partnership, led by directors from both organisations, working together to bring the venue into public use.
In 2021, the PL1 Partnership dissolved itself and as of 2026, the building stands empty again.