Eden Court Opening Gala : 1976
15th April 1976

Eden Court Opening Gala : 1976

Eden Court Opening Gala

The Eden Court Theatre was opened on Thursday 15th April 1976 by Andrew Cruickshank MBE,
an actor best known for his portrayal of Dr Cameron in BBC's long-running series "Dr Finlay's Casebook".

It was built on a site next to the Ness river and incorporated the gothic Bishop's Palace residence (from which it took its name)
into a new building designed by architects Law Dunbar and Naismith.

The theatre was at that time a revolution to Inverness, and the wider Highland Region.
It provided modern theatre performance space for the first time since the early '30s.

Inverness had previously had a number of theatres including the Theatre Royal, previously situated on Bank street which burnt down in 1934
and the Empire Theatre on Academy Street. This theatre had originally opened as The Central Hall Picture House in 1912, but after the Theatre Royal burnt down, it was converted to a fully functioning theatre and reopened as the Empire around 1934. The building was designed by A. Ross & Son and was eventually demolished in 1971.
Many famous names performed at this popular venue - Harry Lauder, Renee Houston and Calum Kennedy to name a few.

A theatre by the name of The Playhouse also existed in Inverness situated in the Eastgate area of the town centre.


Eden Court Opening Gala Programme

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