By the end of the 19th century, Brighton had been a fashionable and thriving seaside resort, which had experienced rapid growth, for more than 100 years.
 It developed around the medieval fishing village of Brighthelmstone—a grid of streets running inland from the sea, intercut with narrow twittens.
 Middle Street, the most important and central of these streets, was built up from the 16th century, and was lined with houses both large and small, inns, the town's oldest school and a richly decorated synagogue.

Land on the east side of the street was chosen as the site of the Real Ice Skating Rink in 1897.
 It was designed by the architect Lewis Karslake and had a long stuccoed façade with short towers at each end.
 The venture was unsuccessful, as ice-skating did not gain popularity; and in 1900, the owners converted the venue into a circus.
 Frank Matcham, a prolific theatre architect, was engaged to enlarge and rebuild the interior.
 The building was renamed The Hippodrome and reopened in its new form in 1901.
 The following year the circus failed and the site was auctioned.
It was bought by theatre entrepreneur Thomas Barrasford who commissioned architect Bertie Crewe to modify the auditorium, replacing the circus ring with seating, and on 22 December 1902 the Hippodrome reopened as a variety theatre.

Barrasford died at the venue in February 1910 and the Hippodrome was sold to the Variety Theatres Controlling Company (VTCC).
It quickly became Brighton's most important variety theatre.
 Shows of all types were staged there, and top-name entertainers such as Harry Houdini, W C Fields, Lillie Langtry, Sarah Bernhardt, Gracie Fields, Laurel and Hardy and Sammy Davis, Jr. appeared.
 Laurence Olivier made his professional stage début—but fell over on his first entrance.
 One of Charlie Chaplin's first roles was a bit-part in theatre impresario Fred Karno's comedy Saturday to Monday, staged in May 1907; and Vivien Leigh gave an acclaimed performance in George Bernard Shaw's play The Doctor's Dilemma in January 1942.
 Local stars also featured: Max Miller, the Brighton-born music hall entertainer and comedian, appeared on many occasions between 1928 and 1960; and conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton, whose vaudeville career began in their home town in 1911 at the age of three, topped the bill with their variety show.

The venue's early success led to expansion.
In 1919 the lower floors of the two houses on the north side, known as Hippodrome House since Barrasford made his home there in 1902, was converted into a Palm Court for teas and dances.
Its maximum capacity may have been up to 3,000 although an attendance of 4,500 was recorded on one occasion.
Further changes of ownership in 1928 and 1932 made the Hippodrome part of the Moss Empires circuit.

After World War II, the popularity of variety theatre waned, and the new practice of centralised booking of productions by an agency in London meant that the tastes of Brighton audiences were not specifically catered for: the venue typically received shows that had toured around the country and had no local connection.
 The Hippodrome accordingly hosted concerts and other large-scale events: concerts by The Beatles (part of their 1964 World Tour) and The Rolling Stones (on their 4th British Tour 1964) in October 1964.
 This could not stop the decline, though, and on 22 November 1964 the theatre was closed.
Brighton Corporation considered acquisition but the idea lapsed.
In 1966 it was converted into a short-lived television and film studio.
 In 1967, it was turned into a Mecca Bingo hall; the conversion work included the insertion of a raised floor above the stage and through the proscenium arch.
Mecca was bought by the Rank Organisation in 1990.

Repairs were carried out on the coloured glass awnings above the entrance in the early 1990s.
 The building closed as a bingo hall in August 2006 and is still empty as of 2020.
 In 2003, property investment firm London Merchant Securities (later called Cheval Properties) bought it and leased it to Academy Music Group (AMG), who planned t
By the end of the 19th century, Brighton had been a fashionable and thriving seaside resort, which had experienced rapid growth, for more than 100 years.  It developed around the medieval fishing village of Brighthelmstone—a grid of streets running inland from the sea, intercut with narrow twittens.  Middle Street, the most important and central of these streets, was built up from the 16th century, and was lined with houses both large and small, inns, the town's oldest school and a richly decorated synagogue.
Land on the east side of the street was chosen as the site of the Real Ice Skating Rink in 1897.  It was designed by the architect Lewis Karslake and had a long stuccoed façade with short towers at each end.  The venture was unsuccessful, as ice-skating did not gain popularity; and in 1900, the owners converted the venue into a circus.  Frank Matcham, a prolific theatre architect, was engaged to enlarge and rebuild the interior.  The building was renamed The Hippodrome and reopened in its new form in 1901.  The following year the circus failed and the site was auctioned. It was bought by theatre entrepreneur Thomas Barrasford who commissioned architect Bertie Crewe to modify the auditorium, replacing the circus ring with seating, and on 22 December 1902 the Hippodrome reopened as a variety theatre.
Barrasford died at the venue in February 1910 and the Hippodrome was sold to the Variety Theatres Controlling Company (VTCC). It quickly became Brighton's most important variety theatre.  Shows of all types were staged there, and top-name entertainers such as Harry Houdini, W C Fields, Lillie Langtry, Sarah Bernhardt, Gracie Fields, Laurel and Hardy and Sammy Davis, Jr. appeared.  Laurence Olivier made his professional stage début—but fell over on his first entrance.  One of Charlie Chaplin's first roles was a bit-part in theatre impresario Fred Karno's comedy Saturday to Monday, staged in May 1907; and Vivien Leigh gave an acclaimed performance in George Bernard Shaw's play The Doctor's Dilemma in January 1942.  Local stars also featured: Max Miller, the Brighton-born music hall entertainer and comedian, appeared on many occasions between 1928 and 1960; and conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton, whose vaudeville career began in their home town in 1911 at the age of three, topped the bill with their variety show.
The venue's early success led to expansion. In 1919 the lower floors of the two houses on the north side, known as Hippodrome House since Barrasford made his home there in 1902, was converted into a Palm Court for teas and dances. Its maximum capacity may have been up to 3,000 although an attendance of 4,500 was recorded on one occasion. Further changes of ownership in 1928 and 1932 made the Hippodrome part of the Moss Empires circuit.
After World War II, the popularity of variety theatre waned, and the new practice of centralised booking of productions by an agency in London meant that the tastes of Brighton audiences were not specifically catered for: the venue typically received shows that had toured around the country and had no local connection.  The Hippodrome accordingly hosted concerts and other large-scale events: concerts by The Beatles (part of their 1964 World Tour) and The Rolling Stones (on their 4th British Tour 1964) in October 1964.  This could not stop the decline, though, and on 22 November 1964 the theatre was closed. Brighton Corporation considered acquisition but the idea lapsed. In 1966 it was converted into a short-lived television and film studio.  In 1967, it was turned into a Mecca Bingo hall; the conversion work included the insertion of a raised floor above the stage and through the proscenium arch. Mecca was bought by the Rank Organisation in 1990.
Repairs were carried out on the coloured glass awnings above the entrance in the early 1990s.  The building closed as a bingo hall in August 2006 and is still empty as of 2020.  In 2003, property investment firm London Merchant Securities (later called Cheval Properties) bought it and leased it to Academy Music Group (AMG), who planned t
Brighton Hippodrome