The 2020 Rebranding of The Rothbury

The 2020 Rebranding of The Rothbury

Gary Osborne has sent us these two images taken by Google Street view

March 2019 (White/Stone Exterior): The building still has its older, lighter facade with the vertical grey/beige panels between the windows and the distinctive red/pink window frames. At this time, it was still branded with the "Global" logo (the media company that owns Heart, Capital, etc.).

October 2020 (Grey Cladding): The transformation is complete. The building has been rebranded as Rothbury House, the modern dark grey corrugated cladding has been installed over the upper section, and the window frames have been updated to a dark grey/black finish.
 

• 1933/34: Originally built in that "Thirties modernistic style" by A.L. Middleton.
  
  
• Post-Cinema: It served as a Bingo Hall and later became the home of Southern Sound Radio (which eventually became Heart FM under the Global umbrella).
  
  
• 2019–2020: This most recent renovation marks its transition from a dedicated broadcast studio into the multi-tenant office space known today as Rothbury House.

The 2019 "Face-lift"

• The Application: Submitted in July 2019, shortly after the "white" photo was taken in March.

• The Work: The permission was for "external alterations including the installation of new cladding, replacement of windows and doors, and associated works."

• The Design: This is when they ditched the 1980s-style red window frames and white masonry for the "Anthracite Grey" (dark grey) corrugated metal cladding and matching window frames.

• The Change of Use: Around this same time, the building's use was being formalised as a multi-tenant business Centre, moving away from being a single-occupancy radio station headquarters.

Timeline of the Transformation

Date	Status	Appearance
March 2019	Active Radio Studios	White/Stone facade with vertical panels and red windows.
July 2019	Planning Submitted	Plans drawn up for the modern grey cladding.
Late 2019 / Early 2020	Construction	Work carried out during the first lockdowns.
October 2020	Completed	The dark grey "Rothbury House" look Gary sent.

The Architect's Vision

The drawings were handled by HGP Architects. In their design statement, they explicitly mentioned that the goal was to "modernise the appearance of the building" and move away from the dated 1980s look it acquired during its time as a radio station.

Key changes from the 2019 plans:

• The Cladding: They used Euroclad 'Vieo' roofing and wall cladding in Anthracite Grey. This is the corrugated metal look you see in the October 2020 photo.

• The Windows: All the old red-framed windows were ripped out and replaced with polyester powder-coated aluminium frames, also in Anthracite Grey to match the cladding.

• The Canopy: The large concrete canopy over the main entrance (a remnant from its cinema/bingo days) was retained but refurbished to look more integrated with the new industrial-chic style.

Why the change?

The timing is quite poignant for our research. The building was being converted from the Global Media (Heart FM) studios into a "Business Centre" for multiple tenants. By stripping back the 80s "white and red" look and adding the dark grey cladding, they were essentially trying to give the old cinema a fresh, professional identity as Rothbury House.

Note on the "Next Door" Club: > Interestingly, the planning application only covered the Rothbury House building itself. The CVA/K&T club to the left wasn't part of this specific "face-lift," which is why in Gary's photos you can see the stark contrast between the ultra-modern Rothbury and the more traditional brickwork of the club next door.

Unlike the modern office block it is today, the original layout was surprisingly grand for a "local" cinema:

• The Foyer & Entrance: The main doors led into a small but ornate vestibule. Interestingly, the architect (George Coles, who went on to design the famous Odeon style) gave it a dance hall and a café on the first floor.

• The Seating: It had 548 seats, all on one level (no balcony!). This is why the building is quite "deep" today—that entire parking lot and office space used to be one long auditorium.

• The Screen & Proscenium: The "proscenium" (the arch around the screen) was 34 feet wide. Behind the screen, the back wall was actually the boundary of the property.

• The Projection Box: Back then, it was tucked at the rear, but because there was no balcony, the light beam would have shot directly over the heads of the audience from the back wall.

The "Southern Sound" Era (The First Major Change)

When Southern Sound Radio took over (before the grey cladding era), they completely gutted that 500-seat auditorium.

• They built soundproof "studios within a building" inside the shell of the cinema.

• The large open space where the audience once sat was divided into a reception, multiple broadcast booths, and a newsroom.

• If you walk in today, you’re essentially walking through where the "stalls" used to be.

A Local Connection

The builder, A.L. Middleton, was so proud of the project that he named it after his birthplace—Rothbury in Northumberland!

It’s quite fitting that even though the exterior is now "Anthracite Grey" metal, the name he gave it in 1934 is still there above the door.  

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Go Back to The Revival of the Rothbury Infrastructure

Back to the Many Lives of the Rothbury

If you enjoyed reading about the Rothbury, you might also like my history of the CVA/K&T club next door 

For more on Franklin Road, see my post on Southern Sound Radio 

Link to Franklin Road Index

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