Eden Court

Eden Court was opened in April 1976 and at the time, the design was strikingly modern. As the only large scale performance venue in the region, the building was designed by architects Law & Dunbar-Nasmith to house all types of performing arts from opera to popular music, concerts, ballet, modern dance, drama and films.

The 80-foot wide stage with a motorised centre can be adapted for different performances or moved back to reveal an orchestra pit for 60 musicians. The horseshoe-shaped auditorium comfortably seats 830 or for smaller-scale performances, with the upper tiers dark, it has the feel of a more intimate theatre.

The theatre is sited in the grounds of what had been the official residence of the Bishops of Moray. Built-in the nineteenth century for Bishop Robert Eden, the house was incorporated into the new arts centre providing dressing rooms and offices and later on, a small cinema. It gave up its name to the arts complex and was renamed the Bishop’s Palace.

Thorough restoration of the Bishop’s Palace has brought back some of its former Victorian glory and outside, a new entrance and landscaped grounds mean Eden Court ‘faces’ the city centre allowing visitors to finally enjoy the riverside setting.