Stop 9 of 10 · Market Harborough Public Art Trail
Harlequin sculpture, Harborough Theatre,Church Square
- WhereChurch Square, Market Harborough LE16 7NB
On the site of the theatre once stood an inn which was demolished in 1935, and replaced with a fake building… Although it looks like an old merchant’s house from the Elizabethan period, with stone walls, mullioned windows, leaded lights and stout oak doors, it was, in fact, constructed as a cycle-shed for the corset-makers in the factory opposite! The Managing Director’s office looked out into Church Square, and he insisted that the new building be designed to present an attractive view in this pleasant square. It officially became a theatre in 1969, but Market Harborough Drama Society has been presenting plays here since 1947. Also, in 1969 the Harborough Theatre logo and the modern art sculpture of Harlequin, by local artist Ralph Thurston, were mounted above the display window.
Fig. 2 The theatre’s ironstone front, with Harlequin on the left.
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