THE historic Citadel Theatre is set to undergo a revamp with internal and external works scheduled.

Built in 1861, the Citadel building was owned by the Salvation Army for much of the 20th century and was converted it into an arts centre by the Rainford Trust in 1980s, which realigned the venue with its cultural roots.

Re-opening as 'The Citadel Arts Centre' in April 1988, it swiftly gained a reputation as a top regional music venue, with two bands pencilled every Saturday night.

With a rich history of acts performing at the Waterloo Street venue, bands such as The Stone Roses, The La’s, The Verve, and Cast took to the St Helens stage.

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The Citadel was operated by the Salvation Army for much of the 20th centuryThe Citadel was operated by the Salvation Army for much of the 20th century (Image: St Helens Star) Acquiring charitable status in the 90s, the Citadel received funding to refurb the building and develop its flourishing programme of events, but following difficulties within the arts industry, the venue shut its doors in 2019.

A year later, local businessman Ian Pitts taking took over the building to breathe new life into the historic venue, with MD Creatives signing a five-year lease to manage the building through a programme of performing arts and commercial listings.

However, this partnership fell apart in September 2022 following reports of financial difficulties.

The Citadel is well-known for its intimate setting for gigs and shows The Citadel is well-known for its intimate setting for gigs and shows (Image: St Helens Star) With the Citadel reopened Mr Pitts later that year, a partnership with Liverpool-based promoter Glasswerk has provided more stability for the Theatre, with an eclectic mix of live events scheduled over the past 18 months.

This has included gigs with Starsailor frontman James Walsh, Ian Prowse, China Crisis, and Space, as well as huge tribute shows from Definitely Oasis, The Freddie & Queen Experience, and Simply Dylan.

The Citadel has also featured as part of the revived town centre musical festivals, and the internal and external works are hoped to keep the Theatre in shape for many years to come.

Information about the Citadel's upcoming gigs and shows can be found here.