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____________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Alhambra Theatre,
Wellington Street, Glasgow
Above - The Alhambra Theatre, Glasgow from a 1960s programme cover - Courtesy Graeme Smith
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It stood on the site of the former Waterloo Rooms, the public hall and function rooms much used for meetings, concerts, soirees and balls, which had been converted from the former Wellington Church when its congregation moved west to University Avenue in 1884. Right - A Watercolour of the Alhambra Theatre from the cover of a 1938 Tatler Magazine - Courtesy Graeme Smith.
In 1954 it was bought by Howard & Wyndham Ltd as a successor to their Theatre Royal Hope Street, Glasgow which they knew they would soon sell to the Canadian Roy Thomson once he obtained the first licence to run Scotland`s new commercial television service, STV. Left - A programme for 'A Waltze Dream' at the Alhambra Theatre on the 21st September 1942. The Alhambra pantomimes continued to be highly successful, and the new spectacular pantomimes 'A Love for Jamie' and 'A Wish Jamie' toured north and south of the border.
Left - A programme for 'Saint Joan' by Bernard Shaw at the Alhambra Theatre on the 24th August 1946. Right - A programme for 'Goldilocks and The Three Bears' at the Alhambra Theatre - 4th December 1954. Scotland`s first Royal Variety Show was held here in 1958, and the famous Five Past Eight Shows attracted over 400,000 people each summer. The Alhambra Theatre closed in 1969 and although you may find some articles about the Theatre stating that the building was demolished after a fire, actually this is incorrect and there never was a fire, the Theatre was actually sold to a property developer and then demolished by them in 1971. |
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Above - A view from the stage of the Alhambra Theatre,
Glasgow during the Theatre's demolition in 1971 - From the book 'Glasgow
since 1900' - Archive publications. The text on this page was written by Graeme Smith and kindly sent in by him for inclusion on this site in 2008, and is from his book 'THE THEATRE ROYAL: Entertaining a Nation'. Details here.
Famous for glamour and humour, variety, pantomime, musicals, ballet, opera, drama and dance the immense ALHAMBRA THEATRE stayed ahead of other theatres. Opening in 1910, at the corner of Waterloo Street and Wellington Street, and designed by eminent architect Sir John James Burnet, its managing director Sir Alfred Butt gave “the best of European and American Vaudeville attractions” in the “Resort of the Elite.” Its founders supported cinema, jazz, cabaret and ballrooms. The complete history of the Glasgow Alhambra is told for the first time, in full colour, with 400 illustrations, in this new quality-bound softback book by Graeme Smith and is highly recommended. The book is priced just £20 and can be found in all good bookstores and online at the book`s own website www.glasgowalhambra.co.uk |
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Howard & Wyndham , Britain's Premier Theatre Circuit
Above - A Page from an Alhambra Theatre, Glasgow Programme showing theatres on the Howard and Wyndam Theatre Circuit for 1954. See also Glasgow Theatres - Edinburgh Theatres |
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The
Alhambra Theatre was built in 
From
the 1920s the Theatre became famous for its 
It
was the largest of the quality theatres in Scotland and one of the best
equipped in Europe, with a revolving stage, and an orchestra platform
which could rise onto and above the stage. All its dressing rooms had
showers (unheard of elsewhere.) 
After
the 
