A Winter Home for OVO. A New Cultural Hub for St Albans.

OVO is on a mission to transform St Germain’s Barn into a vibrant new performance venue, breathing new life into this historic site next to Verulamium Museum. Thanks to a £300,000 grant from the Government’s Community Ownership Fund, we are closer than ever to making this vision a reality.

St Germain’s Barn, a Grade II listed building currently on Historic England’s At Risk Register, has been in need of care and investment for years. This building has its own historical ties to theatre – it was purchased by vice-Admiral Sir Henry Killigrew in 1692 – his father was the playwright and patent holder for Drury Lane, Henry Killigrew, and his brother was the dramatist, Thomas Killigrew.

Our plan is simple but impactful: refurbish the barn to create a unique performance space with a courtyard, stage, and flexible seating. By preserving the building’s historic integrity while enhancing its functionality, we can create a cultural hub for theatre, music, and community events.

Why This Matters

Our goal is not just to open another venue, but to establish a year-round performance space that complements our work at The Maltings Arts Theatre and The Roman Theatre of Verulamium. A permanent base will allow us to expand our repertoire, create a semi-permanent resident company, and develop a sustainable model that supports both emerging and established artists.

Beyond the stage, St Germain’s Barn will provide a welcoming space where audiences can enjoy pre- and post-show gatherings, a much-needed improvement over our current venues.

"This important historic barn has long been in a poor state of repair. OVO, by converting its use for theatrical performances, will provide a beneficial new use that will encourage and facilitate the maintenance of the historic fabric of the building. This will both conserve the building’s importance and ensure its historic character in the context of a conservation area. All too often historic buildings are allowed to fall into decay because they have no contemporary use. As a performance area, what was an empty and dilapidated barn will become an asset for the community providing cultural enjoyment for all. It is important that conservation of historic buildings provide spaces that have relevance for modern times thereby ensuring that they are valued and protected for the future."

Tim Boatswain

- Council Member for SAHAAS, Chairman of Conservation 50 & Trustee for OVO

How You Can Help

To bring this project to life, we need your support. While we have secured initial funding, there’s still work to be done. Whether you’re a theatre lover, a history enthusiast, or a supporter of the arts, your contribution will help us create a thriving cultural landmark in St Albans.

Ways to Support:

Donate: Every contribution brings us closer to opening night.
Spread the Word: Share our vision with friends, family, and fellow arts supporters.
Stay Engaged: Sign up to our newsletter and follow us on social media to stay up to date on our progress and be the first to know about upcoming performances and fundraising events.

Looking Forward...

We aim to start work in the autumn, with a grand opening planned for the spring. Once open, The Barn will become a hub for exciting performances, community engagement, and artistic development. In the long run, this space will allow us to strengthen our local theatre scene and provide a home for innovative new productions.

Join us in making St Germain’s Barn a cornerstone of the St Albans arts scene.

Find out more about our plans at: Planning Application Link (search 5/2024/1478).

"I am very pleased to endorse this imaginative proposal, both in my capacity as local county councillor for the site and also as a past President of the St Albans & Hertfordshire Architectural & Archaeological Society."

"I would like to add my sincere support for OVO's exciting plans to utilise the St Germain's Barn and St Michael's Changing Rooms for a new theatre and community space."

"I'm very happy to support this local initiative, I personally think it's an excellent idea and will be a great addition to the community."

"We are excited by the proposal to take St Germain’s Barn and St Michael’s Changing Rooms and convert these buildings into a performance, community, and events space. This development would be a meaningful step towards reanimating the area and we feel it would be of great benefit to the visitors of our site, Verulamium Museum."

LATEST UPDATES

27/03/2025

St Germain’s Barn Progress Update

We submitted our initial planning application for St Germain’s Barn in August 2024.

We are very pleased that St Albans City and District Council has now granted listed building consent, which means that all the internal changes we want to make to the barn have been approved.

Because we are extremely committed to protecting the environment around the site, including local wildlife, we have engaged a range of specialist advisors to assist with our planning application. These include Arbtech Consulting, the UK’s leading ecological consultancy. Arbtech undertook a preliminary roost assessment which did not find any bats present in the barn, but recommended that three Bat Emergence and Re-entry Surveys should be carried out. These surveys can only take place during the bat roosting season between May and August, meaning that the initial planning window expired before the work could be carried out.

Based on previous planning applications, we had hoped that St Albans City and District Council would award planning consent with a pre-commencement condition that we would implement any mitigation recommended from the further bat surveys. However, the council determined that our application would need to be re-submitted after the further surveys had been carried out meaning that the original planning application is now deemed to have been formally “refused”.

Once the additional bat surveys have been carried out by Arbtech Consulting in June 2025 we are confident that planning permission will be granted. We then aim to begin the refurbishment of the barn in Autumn 2025, and hope to open the new theatre in Spring 2026.

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