Image: A design for the Sir Ken Dodd Happiness Centre (Allford Hall Monaghan Morris)
The centre would become a permanent home to The Sir Ken Dodd archive and the Happiness exhibition currently showing at National Museum Liverpool.
Liverpool City Council has approved plans for a new £15m building dedicated to Liverpool’s comedy heritage.
Liverpool’s Royal Court theatre alongside charity The Comedy Trust and The Sir Ken Dodd Charitable Foundation submitted plans last Autumn for the building.
The four-storey Sir Ken Dodd Happiness Centre would become a permanent home to The Sir Ken Dodd archive and Happiness exhibition currently showing at National Museum Liverpool.
It will celebrate the life and career of the comedian, while also offering spaces for comedy-based workshops, talks and performances. The centre will be operated by Liverpool’s Royal Court as an extension of the Royal Court Theatre.
Building work could begin as early as next year, with the doors set to open in 2027 to mark what would have been Sir Ken Dodd’s 100th birthday.
The centre will be built on the land adjacent to Liverpool’s Royal Court, on the site currently occupied by Courtyard Bar & Kitchen. Once completed, the centre will house a new 100-seat restaurant.
The project will be designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) architects, who were also behind the extensive refurbishment of Liverpool’s Royal Court. Funding for the project is coming from a number of sources, primarily the Sir Ken Dodd Charitable Trust.
Lady Anne Dodd, Ken’s widow, says:
“I am thrilled that my dream of creating a legacy to celebrate Ken’s life has reached such a landmark stage.
“Ken spent many happy hours entertaining thousands in the Royal Court Theatre and I know he would be delighted that his legacy building links to the theatre he helped to save back in 1979.”
Gillian Miller, CEO, Liverpool’s Royal Court added: “We have been working with Lady Anne Dodd from the beginning of the design process to ensure that the building reflects Ken’s mantra that ‘Happiness is the greatest gift that we possess’.
“Our plans for the world’s biggest tickling stick will become a landmark for the city attracting tourists and visitors from near and far, putting a smile on everyone’s face.
Paul Monaghan, Executive Director, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris Architects said the building’s
“multicoloured facade and sustainable design will provide a fitting landmark to a great man.”
