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Birkenhead, Wirral, Theatres and Halls

Argyle Theatre, Birkenhead
Also known as The Argyle Theatre Of Varieties / The Prince of Wales Theatre

Above - The Argyle Theatre, Birkenhead - From a 1930s Postcard.

The Argyle Theatre, Birkenhead, was built for Dennis Grannel and opened as a Music Hall in 1868. The Theatre had a change of name in 1876 to The Prince Of Wales Theatre when it was used for more conventional fair such as plays, but the name reverted back to the Argyle Theatre in 1890 when it was used as a Music Hall and Variety Theatre again. Dennis Grannel's nephew, Denis J. Clarke, ran the Argyle Theatre for 45 years from 1890 to 1935 and it became one of the most well known Theatres in the country.

Sir Harry Lauder began his career at the Argyle, and all the names of the day performed there including Dan Leno, George Robey, Vesta Tilley, Stan Laurel, Bud Flanagan, and Charlie Chaplin.

Arthur Lloyd is known to have performed in Birkenhead in 1890.

The Argyle Theatre was the first Theatre to host radio broadcasts, which were sent out all over the commonwealth on short-wave radio, and the Argyle was also the only Theatre at the time to broadcast to the USA.

Right - Poster for the Argyle Theatre of Varieties for Monday January the 21st 1907.

Left - Poster for the Argyle Theatre of Varieties for Monday the 1st of February 1892.

The Theatre was a leader in the showing of Vitagraph Pictures, Thomas Edison's early cinema, outside of London and even showed footage, in 1910, of King Edward VII's funeral.

The Argyle Theatre continued to show films and newsreels throughout its career but its main program was always live Theatre, Variety, Pantomime, and Music Hall.

On the 21st of September 1940, an air raid during the Battle of Britain resulted in the Argyle being destroyed by fire and the Theatre's illustrious career had come to an end.

A visitor to the site, Geoff Unwin who performed for the Argyle Theatre For Youth and was also the composer of the title song score for the feature film 'On the Buses,' has sent in some information and images of the Argyle Theatre, he writes:

'Dennis Clarke, who ran the Theatre in the first half of the 20th Century, had three sons, two of which - Tom and Gerrard - ran the Argyle Theatre for Youth from the dressing room complex of the Theatre that survived the blitz. It was a traveling fit-up theatre which I joined in 1957 for a production of Alice in Wonderland, touring schools all over the British Isles. (I played the white rabbit and Judy Vague - a great niece of Hollywood's Vera Vague - played Alice.)

Right - Poster for the Theatre For Youth production of 'Alice in Wonderland' (from the Argyle Theatre, Birkenhead) in 1957. - Courtesy Geoff Unwin, who played the white rabbit, with his future wife Judy Vague, who played Alice.

Uncle Tom, as we called him often told us stories of his childhood in the Theatre. He remembered the first movies being shown there on a huge white linen sheet which was suspended from the ceiling in the centre of the Theatre. Firemen sprayed water on it in order for those on both sides of the screen to view the hazy images. No-one complained about the water running down the isles apparently!

Left - Poster for the Theatre For Youth production of 'David Copperfield' in 1957 - Courtesy Geoff Unwin, who appeared as David Copperfield, playing opposite Judy Vague who doubled as Emily and Mrs McCawber.

In 1949 Tom Clarke bought a job-lot of costumes from Tom Arnold and these were used in his touring productions as well as being hired out to other companies. I remember 'uncle Tom' opening a locked door in the rabbit warren of dressing rooms to let us look out into the ruin of the Theatre. It was open to the sky and still contained huge mounds of bricks which had been left there since the war.

This was in 1957, I don't think it would be allowed today.

Right - The auditorium of the Argyle Theatre in ruins after being hit by a bomb in 1940. - From the Liverpool Echo. - Courtesy Geoff Unwin.

The Theatre for Youth continued into the 1970's. In the early 1980's the Argyle pub, attached to the Theatre, was condemned as 'unsafe' and in danger of collapse and was finally demolished along with the remains of the Theatre.

Today there is no sign of there ever having been such a wonderful Theatre with its own adjoining pub ever having existed on the barren space which is now a car park.' - Text courtesy Geoff Unwin.

Above - Postcard of the Argyle Pub circa 1939. The pub was part of the Argyle Theatre building and remained standing and open for business after the Theatre's Auditorium took a direct hit in 1940. In the 1980's The Argyle pub was condemned as 'unsafe' and in danger of collapse and was subsequently demolished - Courtesy Geoff Unwin.

Other Theatres in Birkenhead

Other Theatres in Birkenhead were the Gaiety, built in 1888 and demolished in 1905; The King's Theatre, which was built in 1908 but now long gone; The Claughton Music Hall, which opened in 1862, was converted for Cinema use in 1912, converted to a Bingo House in 1957, and demolished in 1982; and Finally the Theatre Royal, also known as the Scala, which was built in 1864 and was demolished to make way for a new Cinema in 1937. Arthur Lloyd is known to have performed at the Theatre Royal, Birkenhead in 1890.

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