The Spring Arts & Heritage Centre
WHERE
Havant
What it’s like
A theatre, gallery and workshop space in Havant with dance classes, life drawing, comedy and touring shows under one roof.
This is a working arts centre rather than a single attraction, so what you get depends on what's on. There are Latin American dance workshops, chacha-cha and samba classes, oil painting and life drawing sessions, plus a changing line-up of theatre, comedy and music in the main space. The museum exhibitions run alongside all of this, so you could easily pair a gallery wander with a workshop if the timing lines up.
There's a clown show, On Your Bike Baffo, listed among the offerings, which is the one that reads as properly aimed at younger visitors rather than adults. Beyond that, most of what's on sits in workshop or performance format.
The café runs 10am to 3pm Monday to Saturday, with hot food until 2.30pm and homemade cakes, and a bar opens an hour before evening shows if you're stopping for something later. Most of the building is accessible, with a stair lift between levels and a Duty Manager on hand to help, though the nearest pay car park is on a slope and doesn't list accessible bays. Parking generally is the one bit of friction here: the adjacent car park has limited spaces, and if it's full you're looking at a five to ten minute walk from East Pallant, Prince George's Street or The Star car parks instead. Havant Station is a ten-minute walk, so arriving by train sidesteps the parking question entirely.
Facilities
Need to know
- Parking
- Adjacent Town End House Pay and Display car park (spaces limited)
- Food
- Café open 10am-3pm Mon-Sat with hot food until 2:30pm, serving lunch and homemade cakes
- Wheelchairs
- Most of venue accessible with stair lift access to lower and upper levels
- Getting there by bus or train
- Havant Station is a 10-minute walk
- Parking is tight next door, so arriving early or coming by train avoids the stress.
- The café stops serving hot food at 2.30pm even though it's open until 3pm.
- Ticket refund protection only covers theatre shows and screenings, not workshops.
- Essential companions get free tickets if you need accessibility support.
Plan your visit
What is there for kids to do?
There's a clown show called On Your Bike Baffo, plus dance workshops, life drawing and museum exhibitions, though most of the programme is aimed at a mixed audience rather than young children specifically.
Is there parking?
The adjacent Town End House pay and display car park has limited spaces, so getting there early helps. If it's full, East Pallant, Prince George's Street and The Star car parks are five to ten minutes away on foot.
What about accessible parking?
The nearest pay car park sits on a slope and doesn't list accessible spaces, which is worth knowing if that affects your visit.
Is the building itself accessible?
Most of the venue is accessible, with a stair lift between the lower and upper levels and an adapted toilet with baby changing. A Duty Manager assists with the lifts, and essential companions get free tickets.
Can we get there by train?
Havant Station is a ten-minute walk away, with direct links to London Waterloo, Portsmouth, Southampton and Chichester.
Is there food on site?
The café serves lunch and homemade cakes from 10am to 3pm Monday to Saturday, with hot food available until 2.30pm. A bar opens an hour before evening shows.
What are the opening hours?
The building is open 10am to 4pm Monday to Saturday, and the box office keeps the same hours. The café closes earlier, at 3pm.
Is it open on bank holidays?
No, it closes for all the main bank holidays including Easter, the May bank holidays and the summer bank holiday, plus Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
Can I get a refund if a show is cancelled?
If a performance is cancelled, you get the full ticket amount back under their terms of sale. Optional ticket refund protection is separate and doesn't cover cancellations, and the protection fee itself isn't refundable.
Does ticket protection cover workshops?
Ticket refund protection only applies to live events and screenings in the theatre, not workshop courses or offsite activity.
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