The Lion Theatre

Situated at the head of the yard of the Red Lion Hotel, in Horncastle's Bull Ring, the Lion Theatre seats nearly one hundred people in its comfortably furnished auditorium.

The shell of the theatre and the stage was provided by the Benson family--Betty, Eric, and Tim--who in 1988 financed and carried out the conversion and reconstruction of the various outbuildings. The internal work was a massive DIY job by members of the Company and friends,financed by a fund-raising campaign generously supported by local people and organisations. One major fund activity was the sponsorship of a seat or plaque on the wall for £25. The main FA0000 velvet curtains were contributed by Mantles fish and chip shop. Time could well be spent looking around the auditorium , reading the names of sponsors.

The theatre has one main dressing room and a green room for the cast and crew backstage, and a coffee bar serving beverages, biscuits, and sometimes pop and crisps; those wanting something stronger are encouraged to seek out the Red Lion bar, seconds away, with whom the theatre retains a warm relationship.

Hiring the Theatre

Building the Theatre

The theatre was built from scratch by the then-landlords of the Red Lion Hotel, the Bensons, and members of the company. The areas that are now the stage, lobby, bar, green-room, and dressing rooms were historically the inn's coach- and out-houses; the auditorium was built from scratch between two of the outbuildings. The buildings had been used by various local arts groups for some time before the theatre was built, but the company has used them exclusively ever since, and owns everything but the bricks and mortar of the theatre, right down to the kitchen sinks. The purchase of all this was funded by many local businesses and philanthropists.

A few pictures survive of the construction process:

The area at the west end of the theatre. The stage was built where the double doors are shown.	Many other members of the company chipped in with the labour.
	The wall and fence shown to the right mark the northern wall of the theatre today, at the time separating the stable yard from Achurch's machinery showroom. Today, Somerfields supermarket lies beyond the theatre.
Eric Benson remained in charge of theatre maintenance, holding the committee post of Theatre Manager, from 1988 to 2008--for which twenty years' effort he was thanked profusely.
Before the old walls could be partially demolished to make way for the stage, a giant I-beam had to be lifted into place to support the roof.	The intrepid Eric guides the beam into place
The finished shell of the auditorium	The railing for the access ramp is lovingly installed
The gantry goes up