Take a bow, music halls
QUESTION
Which one of our traditional music halls was the last to close? A NUMBer of these buildings are still with us although these days they host comedy, theatre and panto.
The Frank Matcham hackney empire, in London’s east end, built in 1901 and a classic example from the late music hall period, played host to the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Marie Lloyd — ‘The Queen of the halls’ — W. C. Fields, stanley holloway and stan Laurel.
It has struggled since its heyday — between 1963 and 1984 it was a Mecca bingo hall. It saw a revival in the eighties when it hosted numerous acts from the alternative comedy boom. refurbished in 2001, it has recently played host to the John Bishop show and the British soap Awards.
A mile to the south is hoxton hall. Opened as MacDonald’s Music hall in 1863, it is an unrestored example of the saloon-style hall. It functioned as a music hall only until 1871, when it lost its licence because of its unruly clientele.
It has survived intact, however, largely because William Isaac Palmer (1824-93) bought it on behalf of the Blue ribbon Gospel Temperance Mission before bequeathing it to the Quaker movement who ran it as a meeting hall and an adult education centre.
It remains in its original layout, and is used as a community centre and theatre.
The Grand Opera house in Belfast is another surviving Frank Matcham design. Opened in December 1895, it is the classic surviving example of the oriental style popular in the era.
It once played host to the likes of Gracie Fields, Will Fyffe and harry Lauder. Unlike other survivors, it has remained a thriving venue, staging musicals, plays, pantomimes and live music, despite being damaged several times during the Troubles.
Another fine example is Leeds City Varieties (1865) that once played host to houdini. This building retains its old interior. It hosted the BBC TV show The Good Old Days (1953-83), which showed traditional style Victorian/edwardian music hall acts. The audience dressed in period costume and joined in the singing.
The venue still presents live Good Old Days music hall events as well as hosting stand-up comedy and music concerts.
Mike Barry, Huddersfield. The Britannia Panopticon in Trongate, Glasgow, is thought to be the oldest surviving music hall in the world.
Built in 1857 by Thomas Gildard and h. M. McFarlane, it saw some of the greatest acts of music hall history grace its boards: Marie Loftus, Dan Leno, George Leybourne, The Great Vance, Jenny hill, Bessie Bellwood, harry Champion, W.F. Frame, Marie Lloyd and harry Lauder. stan Laurel made his debut there in 1906.
The Panopticon was one of the first buildings in Glasgow to be powered by electricity and one of the first cinemas in scotland. It closed in 1938 and was sold to tailors Weaver To Wearer. The interior was preserved, and it is being conserved by a trust which regularly performs traditional shows in the auditorium.
Peter Ferrie, Glasgow.
QUESTION
When people have felt the presence of a deceased relative, or even an alleged ghost, they’ve often reported a distinctive odour. Is there any medical explanation for this? GhOsTLY odours are usually described as phantosmia, an olfactory hallucination as opposed to an olfactory illusion, which is a misinterpretation of a physical stimulus. some individuals catch whiffs of imaginary scents day and night.
They might be good — roses, incense and biscuits have been reported — but most suffer unpleasant odours such as car exhaust fumes, burnt rubber, pipe, cigar or cigarette smoke, and even rotting meat.
Phantosmia is not well understood. They might be due to the malfunction of the olfactory neurones or hyperactive or incorrectly functioning cells of the brain might cause the perception of the disturbing odour.
They can occur after an upper respiratory infection or inflamed sinuses and are commonly experienced by sufferers of epilepsy prior to a seizure. They have also been reported in more serious conditions such as depression, head injury, temporal lobe seizures, inflamed sinuses, brain tumours and Parkinson’s disease.
The condition can be treated by washing the sinuses with a saline solution or the scent receptors can be removed surgically. These should regenerate in time.
Donald Sampson, oxford. I LIVe in a house where no one smokes, but on several occasions I have smelt pipe tobacco smoke which I think is from my late grandfather, who died in 1997.
Our house has two resident ghosts from the Civil War era, one is a Cavalier and was seen by my god-daughter.
In 1988, I bought a dress cap that had belonged to a wartime American aviator. It came with a ghost, who was seen in the house on a couple of occasions, often preceded by a smell of cigarette smoke.
Matt Sanders, old Radnor, Powys.
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