Twelve years after the closure of The Amulet Theatre in Shepton Mallett, Somerset, action group Buy the Amulet - comprising local residents and arts group leaders - started a campaign to re-open it.
Originally built in 1975, The Amulet was part of a wider £1.5m town centre development gifted to the community by local industrialist Francis Showering (inventor of Babycham), designed by regional practice Wyvern Design Group.
Buy the Amulet’s aim is to purchase, restore and reopen The Amulet, so they needed a coherent plan of phased work and costings to start the fundraising process.
In partnership with Buy the Amulet and the Twentieth Century Society, we researched the existing buildings’ architectural and social significance – including meeting the original architect team.
Wyvern’s design had been highly contextual, providing uses across several small volumes with a scale and materiality sympathetic to the historic town. The Amulet had been the boldest aspect, based on a repeating polygonal plan in stone blockwork knitting into the existing urban grain.
Our initial design proposals have focused on enabling meanwhile use to begin activating the spaces ahead of a full restoration.
A grant of £6,000 from the Theatres Trust – which added The Amulet to their Theatres at Risk Register in 2022 – will go towards initial compliance and planning works.
Surprisingly, the building is not listed or considered a heritage asset in policy terms. As part of a wider campaign to increase awareness of its local value, a heritage significance paper was commissioned to document The Amulet's place in the cannon of 20th century theatres. Written by historian Dr Alistair Fair and including a heritage appraisal by Alan Baxter Ltd, the report (here) will support planned heritage funding applications.
It’s a great honour to support Buy the Amulet in taking take these first steps to bringing back a much-needed cultural venue to the community.
At a time when regional town centres need to recalibrate their community relevance and protect local economies, reviving such an iconic asset will be a key benefit for current and future generations.
