Malt Cross in Nottingham to expand into caves

A pub based in a former Victorian music hall has been given more than £1m to expand into underground floors and caves.

The floors under the Malt Cross, in Nottingham, have had various uses in the past, including as a Victorian roller skating rink.

Built in 1877, the venue has been given £1,385,400 by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Work will start in April and is expected to finish in September.

Malt Cross chief executive Jo Cox-Brown said: "We have a beautiful two floors that aren't currently used, and so the idea that we gave them, which was to bring the Malt Cross and the music hall back to life, they thought was really exciting."

Old drawings of Malt Cross show the music hall originally had four tiers

Old drawings of the design of the music hall show it originally had four tiers.

The lower floors would have allowed poorer people to hear, although not see, the music for free.

Charlie Chaplin is said to have appeared there, but the music hall fell into disrepair before being restored by in the late 1990s.

The two underground floors were used as an Indian restaurant in the 1980s and 1990s.

The caves have been recorded since the 11th Century, when a Carmelite monastery stood on the site.

Planning permission for the project has already been granted by Nottingham City Council.

A website will also record the heritage of the Malt Cross, other music halls and their performers.