Bespoke Beaufort Seating for a Distinctive Auditorium
The Lamproom Theatre in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, is a thriving community theatre with a strong connection to the town and its heritage. Housed within a Grade II listed building dating back to 1794, the former Methodist chapel is now a busy performance venue presenting theatre, music, comedy and live entertainment throughout the year.
The theatre’s identity is reflected throughout its auditorium. Black velvet walls provide the backdrop for gold-coloured miners’ lamps, displayed in recognition of Barnsley’s mining heritage, while navy velvet tabs finished with two distinctive bands of antique-gold fabric complete the scheme.
When the Lamproom refurbished its auditorium in 2026, Ferco was selected to supply and install 186 Beaufort theatre seats, creating a seating specification that complemented this distinctive interior while delivering the comfort, durability and practicality required by a busy theatre.
The project demonstrates how the Beaufort can be customised through upholstery, timber finishes, branding and accessories, allowing the seating to become an integral part of an auditorium’s overall design.
The Beaufort
For the Lamproom, the Beaufort was selected to provide excellent audience comfort and the durability required for a busy performance venue, combined with a classic aesthetic well suited to the character of the theatre.
The 186 audience seats were upholstered in Sunbury Design Madison Nautilus Navy, a hard-wearing recycled velvet contract fabric, and finished with black wooden back panels.
Each seat was also fitted with an ARC cupholder, neatly integrated into the design to provide audiences with additional convenience without detracting from the overall appearance of the seating.
Four individually removable seats were incorporated at access level, allowing the theatre to accommodate wheelchair users while retaining flexibility within the auditorium. Four floor-mounted usher seats were also supplied to support the theatre’s front-of-house requirements.
Bespoke Finishes
One of the strengths of the Beaufort is the opportunity to adapt its finishes to complement the individual character of a venue.
At the Lamproom, the auditorium uses a distinctive palette of navy, black and antique gold. The deep navy upholstery and black wooden back panels of the new seating sit naturally alongside the black velvet walls and navy tabs, while the gold-coloured miners’ lamps and antique-gold banding introduce warmth and detail throughout the space.
A particularly striking feature of the seats is the Lamproom logo embroidered in antique gold onto the navy upholstery. This bespoke detail brings the theatre’s own identity directly into the seating design and ties the seats into the wider auditorium scheme.
Together, these elements give the Beaufort a completely individual appearance while retaining the proven comfort, construction and performance of the seat.
Designed for Sponsorship
The black wooden back panels also provide an ideal position for individual seat sponsorship plaques. Seat sponsorship has proved popular with the Lamproom’s audiences and supporters, with many of the new seats already carrying individual plaques. Ferco was delighted to sponsor one of the seats ourselves.
As well as adding another personalised element to the auditorium, the plaques provide the theatre with an ongoing fundraising opportunity and allow supporters to become a lasting part of the venue.
A Complete Auditorium Solution
Ferco’s involvement extended beyond the manufacture and installation of the seating. We also project managed the wider auditorium works, coordinating overstepping, new carpeting and seating installation to ensure that the different elements of the refurbishment worked together effectively.
The Lamproom is supported by a thriving community of staff and volunteers, and our installation team was made extremely welcome throughout the project. Working closely together helped the installation progress smoothly and ensured that the finished auditorium reflected both the theatre’s practical requirements and its vision for the space.
The Result
The completed auditorium is a strong example of the versatility of the Ferco Beaufort. Comfortable, robust and highly customisable, the seating has been tailored specifically for the Lamproom. The result is a seating installation that works both practically and visually – providing audiences with greater comfort while complementing an auditorium whose navy, black and antique-gold interior celebrates the distinctive identity and heritage of the theatre.
For Ferco, it was a pleasure to deliver this project and to work alongside the Lamproom team to create a beautiful new auditorium – one that showcases the versatility of the Beaufort and the impact that carefully specified seating can have on a theatre as a whole.
