Bristol Old Vic given £220k lottery funding for development research

The lottery grant has been awarded to fund development work ahead of the theatre's 250th anniversary

Bristol's Old Vic Theatre is set to receive £220,500 of lottery funding.

The grant has been awarded to fund development work ahead of the theatre's 250th anniversary next May.

The money will be used to catalogue historic theatrical memorabilia and survey a "thunder run" - a tunnel high above the ceiling used to roll metal balls down to replicate thunder.

Director Emma Stenning said she hoped the theatre would become an attraction on a par with Bath's Royal Crescent.

Stage hands used pulley ropes to fly scenery at the Theatre Royal in Bristol, later the Bristol Old Vic, circa 1940

"We'll be stripping back bits of plaster to check what's behind and investing in the conservation of the theatre's extraordinary archive of theatrical memorabilia, dating back to the early 18th Century," she said.

"I'm hoping we'll really be uncovering the hidden treasure that is Bristol Old Vic so people can come to us as a heritage destination as they might go to the SS Great Britain or the Royal Crescent."

The Bristol Old Vic's past

• The theatre was built in 1766

• It was sold in 1942 and narrowly escaped being turned into a banana ripening warehouse

• It is the only surviving example of the 18th Century horseshoe-shaped theatre

• The building was not called The Old Vic until after 1946

• Previous names include Bristol Theatre Royal, King St Theatre and The Old Gaffe

Once initial work is complete, the theatre is hoping to secure a further £2.5m from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to help pay for a £12m refurbishment.

Nerys Watts, head of HLF South West, said the redevelopment project would ensure the theatre was in "great shape" to mark its 250th anniversary.

"We're hugely supportive of these plans to protect an 18th Century Bristol landmark and to open it up for many more people's enjoyment," she said.