Groundlings Theatre, Portsmouth

 A Georgian theatre steeped in history. It was originally known as the Beneficial School (The Old Benny), the first free school in Portsmouth. The downstairs was the classroom and the upstairs was used by the Beneficial Society for meetings, theatre and concerts. It is said that in 1812 Elizabeth Dickens went into labour with Charles Dickens whilst attending a dance in the building! Henry Ayres, who Ayres Rock is named after, was a pupil at the school.
Groundlings still has a lot of the original features such as floorboards and fireplaces. Events include plays, productions, Murder Mystery evenings and even ghost hunts!