New lease of life for Dr Black's Memorial Hall in Inverness
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A HISTORIC riverside building in Inverness is set to find a new lease of life as a full-time performing arts centre.
The former Dr Black’s Memorial Hall in Bank Street will re-open its doors next month following a revamp by Performers UK, run by three women with experience in musical theatre, acting, dance and music.
The 112-year-old building, originally built as a meeting hall for St Columba High Church, has been empty for seven years.
But it has now been taken on under a long-term lease by Amanda Chisholm, Victoria Rollo and Enrica Ross Campbell.
The trio have run classes for the last six years in venues such as schools and church halls in the Inverness area.
But they are now preparing to move into their new base on April 1 and are also staging a public launch event on Saturday April 11.
Enrica Ross Campbell, a 33-year-old mother of one, is the head of dance, while mother-of-two Amanda Chisholm (39) is head of music and speech.
Victoria Rollo (30), who has three children, is head of drama.
“We started the venture in January 2014 with 23 children,” Ms Ross Campbell said.
“Now six years later, we have 350 children and are opening our own venue.
“It has been incredible.
“We have worked so hard and we are mums as well.
“We have put our hearts and souls into it.”
Until now, they have run their classes as places such as Millburn and Inverness Royal Academies but said the new venue will be the city’s first full-time performing arts centre.
“We have been planning this since October,” Ms Ross Campbell said.
“It has been the biggest secret we have been trying to keep for the last few months and we have been sneaking in and out of the building!”
The newly-refurbished centre will reflect a 1920s theme with two dance studios named the 42nd Suite and Gatsby Hall, a drama room called the Chaplin Room, the Garland Room for singing.
Even the toilets have been named Guys and Dolls toilets.
“We have tried to make it quirky,” Ms Ross Campbell said.
“Everything is under one roof now and means we don’t have to move things from place to place which is great.”
As well as classes, they also plan to stage performances in the new venue.
The two-storey Dr Black’s Hall was designed by respected Highland architect Robert John Macbeth who was a partner in the practice with another renowned architect Alexander Ross.
The chairman of the St Columba’s Meeting Hall Committee was Rev Dr J Black, a strong supporter of the scheme and responsible for securing much of the initial funding for the building.
But unfortunately he did not see the project completed as he died in February 1907 before the foundation stone was laid.
The inauguration of the hall, which cost £2200 for the building and furnishing, took place on April 8 1908.
Present owner and city businessman Adrian Gray is looking forward to the building coming back into use.
“I have owned it for seven years with no tenants,” he said.
“It has been expensive and frustrating seeing it empty for so long.”
He said when he bought the hall it suffered from a lack of care but he fell in love with the building.
“It is now going back into public use,” he said.
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