Grand theatre destroyed by inferno
THIS fine photograph from the Bugle collection takes us back to Walsall in the early 1900s and it shows some of the grand buildings that once graced the town centre.
On the right hand side is the ornate canopy of the town’s 1883 station. Next to it is the imposing Grand Theatre and in the background is the equally impressive Her Majesty’s Theatre.
We featured the Her Majesty’s Theatre, which opened in 1900, in Bugle 1415, so this week we shall turn our attention to its slightly older neighbour.
The site on the corner of Park Street and Station Street had long been associated with entertainment and was occupied by a traditional music hall, which went by many names before it closed down in April 1889.
The Gaiety Theatre, as it ended its days, was demolished soon afterwards, along with the outfitter’s shop next door, to make way for a much grander enterprise.
The architect of the new theatre was Daniel Arkell of Birmingham, who also designed the Drill Hall in Wolverhampton, the Liberal
Club in Gooch Street, Birmingham, and the Selly Oak Infirmary. The builder was Henry Wilcock of Wolverhampton and the new theatre cost £14,000.
Local historian Ned Williams described the Grand Theatre in his 2011 book Black Country Theatres:
“It was built in red brick with bath stone dressings, topped with a turret and surmounted by figures from the arts. It had a capacity of 1,800 to 2,000, in stalls, a pit, dress circle, private boxes and a gallery, plus a spacious entrance, wide stairways, bars and refreshments Rooms.”
The new venue was at the cutting edge, as reported in The Era, the theatrical trade paper of the day: “Over the proscenium is painted ‘All the world’s a stage.’ The auditorium is nearly 70ft wide and about 40ft deep, the stage being nearly the same width. The proscenium is 27ft, wide, and separated from the auditorium by an asbestos curtain.
“To allow of the better staging of dramas everything behind the curtain has been fitted with the latest improvements, not only for the efficient working of the scenery, but also for allowing quick changes to be made. On a level with the stage, but entirely cut off from the main building, are provided eight dressing-rooms, with two additional rooms which are for the star actors.”
The official opening of the Grand Theatre was on November 17, 1890, conducted by the variety star and male impersonator Vesta Tilley.
In 1899 the Grand Theatre was taken over by the Walsall Theatres Company, which also owned the former agricultural hall, renamed the St George’s Theatre, and was soon to build the Her Majesty’s Theatre.
Varieties
Renamed the Grand Theatre of Varieties, it was remodelled inside and continued to cater for popular tastes, while the new Her Majesty’s staged serious drama.
However, as the 20th century marched on apace, the Grand Theatre faced stiff competition from the latest new sensation – cinema. In the early 1900s occasional screenings were added to the bill of fare and in 1912 the Grand was closed for further alterations. It reopened in November 1912 as the Grand Picture House, with movies now the main attraction.
It may have been at this time that the ornate turret was removed from the corner of the building, as it is missing from later photographs.
In 1936 the properties of the Walsall Theatres Company were bought by the ABC cinema chain. The Grand became their main cinema in Walsall while the Her Majesty’s Theatre was demolished and the new Savoy supercinema was built in its place.
Once the Savoy opened in October 1938 the Grand was surplus to requirements and was promptly closed. But that was not the end of the old theatre.
Reopened
Just six weeks after showing its last film the Grand reopened as a theatre. It had been leased by Patrick Collins, grandson of the famous showman Pat Collins, who was Mayor of Walsall that year.
Sadly, the theatrical rebirth of the Grand was to prove short lived. Late in the evening of June 9, 1939, smoke was spotted coming from the theatre’s roof. The cause of the fire was never ascertained but the inferno engulfed the buildings, despite the best efforts of the fire brigade. A large crowd watched the spectacle, molten lead from the roof running in the street. The roof caved in and then parts of the building started to collapse, injuring some of the on-lookers.
Any plans to rebuild the theatre were thwarted by the outbreak of the Second World War a few months later, and so the remains of the Grand Theatre were demolished.