History
Purpose Built Theatre
Originally built in 1975 as part of a town regeneration project, the Amulet was designed as a state-of-the-art theatre and multi-purpose venue for the whole community. Unusual features include a scenery fly tower, two-story artist dressing rooms and raked seating that lifts vertically to reveal a sprung dance floor below. The building originally hosted theatre, live music and film screenings and as the only theatre in the town and with limited provision in the wider area, it became an important venue in this part of Somerset.
Brutalist in style, the building is generously proportioned and solidly constructed in reinforced concrete, clad in local Doulting stone.
Photos from 1975
Black and white photos, reproduced courtesy of Len Ware.
Short Film
The colour images below are from the BFI’s short film of the Theatre’s opening day.
Watch it here: https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-babyshams-shepton-mallet-theatre-1975-online
(before addition of the hexagonal clock)
(with retro seating and downlighters)
Current State
Although the main reinforced concrete structure of the building is sound, much of the internal services are now outdated, missing or require refurbishment. Many of the original unique features remain however, including the scenery fly tower, stage-to-street gear crane, sprung dance floor and moving seating platform (although without seats). The fundamental design remains flexible and is easily adaptable to many different community uses.
