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79 reviewsIn 1991 Roger Glossop, a set designer, and Charlotte Scott, a former stage manager, bought a redundant Edwardian Laundry, with the intention of designing and building The World Of Beatrix Potter Attraction but the award-winning attraction left plenty of space empty and the couple soon realised it could provide a perfect fit for a theatre. Roger had been working with Alan Ayckbourn at the Stephen Joseph theatre in Scarborough and noticed that the space available would make a similarly perfect theatre in the round. After consultaion with Alan to ask if he would be willing to bring some of his shows to the theatre the project was born and in a matter of months the Old Laundry Theatre was open.
Alan, Roger and Charlotte's close working relationship continues to this day, with Sir Alan having stuck to his word and sent a play to be performed almost every year since. The theatre has also been lucky to have had many fantastic trustees over the years such as Victoria Wood, Griff Rhys Jones, Alan Rickman and, of course, Alan Ayckbourn.
The small but dedicated team who run the theatre always have a host of new projects in the pipeline including annual in-house productions and new writing.
Financially,the theatre relies largely on The World Of Beatrix Potter Attraction alongside small grants from SLDC.
A few years ago a venue opposite the theatre on Rayrigg Road was aquired - The Old Laundry Studio- Laundrama which now hosts our Bistro and smaller cabaret style events and dining experiences.The theatre Bistro is very popular, providing pre-show meals for most shows and there is a bar available on performance days.
Both venues are avalable to hire (see website for details).
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Season (1 Jan 2024 - 31 Dec 2024) |
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Booking fee of £1.50 on all bookings whether online, by telephone or in person.
This information is self-assessed; therefore we accept no liability for its accuracy. Please contact the venue for further information.
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The Old Laundry is situated on Crag Brow in the centre of Bowness-on-Windermere, LA23 3BX and shares a building with the World of Beatrix Potter Attraction. The Attraction is signposted with brown tourist information signs so it is helpful to follow those.There are several pay and display car parks in Bowness-on-Windermere which are in walking distance to the Old Laundry Theatre. In the evening, it may also be possible to park on the surrounding streets. We recommend the pay & display Rayrigg Road car park as it is just over the road. Rayrigg Road Car Park, Bowness-on-Windermere, LA23 3BZ Pay and display car park with 176 spaces (12 Blue Badge spaces)
The theatre can be reached by using public transport. 87% of visitors make their journey to the Lake District by car, but once you are here why not try the train, bus, boat or electric bike. The nearest mainline station is Oxenholme, Lake District on the West Coast Mainline going from London to Glasgow. There is a connecting train from Oxenholme Station to Windermere which takes approximately 30 minutes. All Windermere trains connect with a local bus service which will take you the 2 miles to Bowness.
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