Victoria’s value...
LAST month I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a ticket to see the Welsh hard rockers the Manic Street Preachers in October, Covid-19 lockdowns permitting of course.
It’ll be the second time I’ve seen them – the first was 25 years ago – and my first big gig since before the pandemic began. And the venue is the same one as my last Manic Street Preachers gig all those years ago - Hanley’s Victoria Hall.
The Victoria Hall opened its doors in 1888 with a capacity of 2,800 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, and it is still our city’s premiere touring venue.
It was built by the borough surveyor Joseph Lobley in local red brick and terracotta, and incorporates an organ rebuilt by Henry Willis in 1922. At the time, Willis was considered the country’s finest organ-builder. He was also responsible for those at Westminster Cathedral.
The building of the Victoria Hall was considered to be a big thing for Hanley and North Staffordshire, and this was reflected by the opening ceremony which included a procession to the new building, a presentation of the key to the Lord Mayor, a performance of the National Anthem, some 17 speeches, and four organ pieces. This was then followed by a two-day festival.
While the Victoria Hall quickly became a popular performance venue, it also became a location intrinsically linked with local politics and civic action and became central to one of our city’s finest moments. It was here on September 6, 1942 that Sir Barnett Stross launched the Lidice Shall Live! campaign in response to the infamous Nazi atrocity in the Czechoslovak village. In front of an audience of 3,000, the Czechoslovak president in exile Edvard Beneš concluded: “This meeting has made it clear that Lidice has not died: it lives on in the hearts of the people of Stoke-on-trent at least.
“From now on, Stoke-on-trent will forever be in the heart of every Czech citizen”.
In the post-war years, the Victoria Hall became a popular venue for boxing and wrestling, and as popular music grew and bands and artists toured in support of their recordings, it became a very popular destination. A rundown of those who have played the Victoria Hall over the years is like a who’s who of rock ‘n roll. Some of the world’s biggest acts have trod the famous old boards at one time or another. AC/DC, the Bee Gees, David Bowie, Elton John, Queen, and U2. And back in the 90s, I witnessed a few great gigs including the aforementioned Manic Street Preachers show, Suede without Bernard Butler, and Primal Scream for the first time.
But by the mid-90s, the Victoria Hall – which hadn’t had any serious money spent on it in years – had become tired and a little run-down and required a little attention. The venue was still operating well and had the potential to grow, and so the city council identified it and the art deco former Provincial Cinema – now the Regent Theatre – in Piccadilly as key to a cultural renaissance and placed them at the heart of the £23million Cultural Quarter initiative.
The Victoria Hall had limited frontof-house facilities. To address this, a new extension was developed which provides a new entrance, information services, and a café. Levitt Bernstein were appointed architects for the scheme and did a fine job. The new extension is considered to be a nationally important example of how to extend an historic building without resorting to pastiche and is probably the most important architectural work in the Potteries in many years, unashamedly modern, yet traditional too in the way that materials common to the area are utilised, though with a contemporary twist.
So, what of the future? The Victoria Hall still attracts big acts – the Manic Street Preachers and Blossoms are in town this year, while Paul Weller pops by on a regular basis – though perhaps not as often as it did during the 1970s and 80s. And the extension isn’t so new anymore and is in need of a little TLC.
In addition, plans for a new arena on the site of the now razed East/west Precinct are still being mooted, and while such a proposal is much needed and would be greatly welcomed, I would hope the end product would complement what the Victoria Hall has to offer. For the Victoria Hall is one of our city’s most loved icons, and it still has a big role to play in its future.