It was designed by George Alfred Dean in the Italianate style, built in red brick and was officially opened on 28 October 1868.

The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage facing onto Clifford Street and featured a series of linked round headed windows on the first floor.

[2][3][4] However, the use of the building as a corn exchange declined significantly in the wake of the Great Depression of British Agriculture in the late 19th century.

It was officially opened with a performance of a pantomime, Little Red Riding Hood, starring Florrie Forde, as the Grand Theatre and Opera House on 20 January 1902.

They restored the raked seating and stage at a cost of £4 million and re-opened it with a performance of Macbeth as the Grand Opera House on 26 September 1989.