The Conservation Plan and Condition Survey for the Theatre Royal that houses the Bristol Old Vic, includes the oldest surviving theatre auditorium in the country and the nineteenth and twentieth century adaptations that have kept it alive. The orignal theatre was one of the first provincial theatres to receive a Royal Warrant as entainment licencing started to relax following previous puritan persecution. Originally constructed in 1764, much of the auditorium and roof structure remains and indeed some of the earliest bench seating in the country. This makes it half a century older than its nearest equivalent, which is even more remarkable given the prevalence of fire damage to this class of building. The later, largely Victorian stage with its fully working machinery survived until the major 1970's scheme by Peter Moro (of Festival Hall fame).