Villa Marina, Isle of Man, Entertainment complex in Douglas, Isle of Man
Villa Marina is an entertainment complex in Douglas housing multiple event spaces of varying sizes. The building includes a cinema hall, several theatre and concert rooms, and sports facilities overlooking the bay.
The complex was built in 1913 following an architecture competition and was erected on a former private estate. The site had a long history as a residential property with established gardens and structures.
The venue's original name, Villa Marina Kursaal, was changed to Royal Hall at the outbreak of World War I. For several summer seasons in the 1950s it was home to Joe Loss and his orchestra. Today the Royal Hall seats 1,500 and has a large dance floor used for concerts and shows.
The Royal Hall seats 1,500 and has a large dance floor; the Broadway Cinema, Colonnade Suite, Promenade Suite and Dragon's Castle children's play area sit alongside it. The gardens are open to the public all year and host music events during the summer tourist season. The site is on Harris Promenade, facing Douglas Bay, and is run with the adjoining Gaiety Theatre by Douglas Corporation.
The Villa Marina gardens were the vantage point for the Gordon Bennett Trials, first held on the Isle of Man in 1904. The estate also hosted summer garden fetes and open-air religious services, including the Primitive Methodist District Synod of the Liverpool District in spring 1906.
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