Plymouth Dome

Plymouth Dome is a former museum and visitor attraction on Plymouth Hoe, Plymouth, Devon. It opened in 1989 and closed in 2006. The museum had a variety of themed galleries covering the history of Plymouth as well as two observation galleries overlooking Plymouth Sound.[1][2]

Plaque unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 July 1988 beside Plymouth Dome

Plymouth Dome
Seen in 2015 as the restaurant Rhodes @ The Dome
Plymouth Dome
Location within Plymouth
General information
LocationPlymouth Hoe
Town or cityPlymouth
CountryUnited Kingdom
Coordinates50.36383°N 4.14203°W / 50.36383; -4.14203
Current tenantsNone
Completed20 July 1988

History

Opening

Plymouth Dome was built in 1988, and although it was not opened to the public until 1989, Queen Elizabeth II visited the building on 20 July 1988, during which she unveiled a plaque to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the first battle of the Spanish Armada.[3] An official opening followed in November by diplomat and academic Bryce Harland, the then-High Commissioner for New Zealand.[4]

Lease to Wykeham Group

In 2004, it was revealed by The Independent that the museum attracted 60,000 visitors a year.[5] However, in 2006, falling visitor numbers led Plymouth City Council to consider the attraction's future.[6] In March, Plymouth City Council agreed to lease the building to the Wykeham Group, who were to invest £750,000 in creating a restaurant within an exhibition area in the building.[7] However, the plans never came to fruition, and the Plymouth Dome subsequently closed.

Rhodes @ The Dome

The building remained empty for over five years. In late 2011, it was announced that celebrity chef Gary Rhodes intended to reopen it as a restaurant.[8] Although originally due to open in late 2012, the £1.5 million restaurant Rhodes @ The Dome opened in January 2013.[9] Rhodes ended his association with the restaurant in January 2016 and it was re-branded as "The Dome".[10]

References
  1. "Plymouth Dome - Informational site for Plymouth Dome and Smeatons Tower Lighthouse". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 3 December 2003. Retrieved 25 October 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. "Plymouth Dome - Informational site for Plymouth Dome and Smeatons Tower Lighthouse". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 19 November 2003. Retrieved 25 October 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. "A Timeline of Plymouth". Localhistories.org. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  4. Jon Bayley (20 July 1988). "Odd decisions may have contributed to failure of Plymouth Dome". Plymouth Herald. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  5. Mark Rowe (5 December 2004). "Family Outings: Plymouth Dome". The Independent. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  6. "UK | England | Devon | Dome's future up for discussion". BBC News. 15 March 2006. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  7. "UK | England | Devon | Seventy jobs created at city Dome". BBC News. 22 March 2006. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  8. "Chef Gary Rhodes planning restaurant at Plymouth Dome - BBC News". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  9. Ruddick, Peter (16 January 2013). "Gary Rhodes Plymouth restaurant Rhodes @ The Dome". Bighospitality.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  10. Blackledge, Sam (13 January 2016). "Gary Rhodes ends involvement with Rhodes @ The Dome as Plymouth restaurant re-brands". Plymouth Herald. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2017.

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