A SOUTHAMPTON theatre welcomed more than 500 people to an open day event.

The event at NST City - housed in Guildhall Square's new £32million arts complex - was designed with a former Southampton institution in mind.

The Bungalow Café once stood on 157 Above Bar Street, Southampton, opposite the new NST City.

It was the local home of women’s suffrage before it was destroyed in the Blitz.

Nuffield Southampton Theatres welcomed over 500 people to their open day.

Activities in the theatre's recreation of the Bungalow Cafe included backstage tours, stepping into the stories behind the world premiere production of Women in Power, debating like a suffragette in a replica Bungalow Café, pop up performances and drop-in drama games for children.

There was also free food tasters in the new restaurant, Tyrrells, from chef Jay Geddes.

Bill Sainsbury, Head of Marketing at Nuffield Southampton Theatres, said: “We welcomed over 500 people throughout the day and hosted backstage tours.

"Our visitors were in particularly curious to see the dressing rooms, the laundry and how sets are loaded in from street level onto our mainstage.”

The Bungalow Cafe Festival at NST City is a month long series of events celebrating 100 years since women got the vote.