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The Empire Theatre and Theatre Royal, Nottingham

Above - The Theatre Royal, Nottingham during the run of 'Can-Can' on the 25th of June 1956 - Courtesy Gerry Atkins

These two theatres adjoined each other, The Empire was a Matcham house and the Theatre Royal was originally Phipps but rebuilt by Matcham at a later date. The Empire housed variety and the Theatre Royal musicals and plays.

Right - A programme for Hamilton Dean and his company performing in 'When we were young' at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham on July 24th 1933.

Arthur Lloyd is known to have performed at the Nottingham Empire Theatre in 1900.

Tim Tillson was the manager of both houses and a martinet of the first order. He moved to the Palace Manchester shortly after the Empire closed. I had many a row with him because the man was entirely inflexible and also used to try and levy absurd contra charges at the end of the week A friend of mine once put on the settlement sheet on a Saturday night 'signed under duress' and there was a great rumpus back at the head office in Cranbourne Mansions on the following Monday morning.

Left - A poster for the Pantomime 'Cinderella' at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham from the 24th of December 1935. - Courtesy Stephen Wischhusen.

Harry Hackworth was musical director at both houses and furnished pit orchestras of any size as required from a pool of local musicians.

The dock doors of both theatres were side by side and there is a story of how the show loads went into the wrong theatres one morning and it was not discovered until a cloth for a Shakespeare production was hung at the Variety Empire. I bet the stage staff loved transferring the loads and made sure that it never happened again.

Right - Variety Programme for the Nottingham Empire on Monday may 27th 1935 - Acts included the Barry Twins and Molly, Mr. Thomas, The Vive Cleveres, Connie Graham, Nat Gonella and His Georgians, Stan Pell and Stan Little, Steffani and his 16 Singing Scholars, Art Frank, and D'Amsell and Boy.

Uncle Bob was stage manager at the Theatre Royal at the back end and spent most of his time in the Turf Tavern across the Road. We used to load him onto a bus with instructions to the driver to put him off outside his house on most nights.

Above - The Theatre Royal, Nottingham - From a postcard.

When Tim Tillson moved to Manchester Frank Mathie took over. He came down from the Glasgow Empire when it closed. He used to enter the theatre through the stage door in the morning as all old time managers did in order to make sure that all the backstage staff were there and working and insisted on the safety curtain being raised during the morning sothat he could see what was happening on stage. They don't make them like Frank any more.

Left - A Variety Programme for the Nottingham Empire on Monday 28th November 1938 - Acts included The Vanstrattans, Harry Coady, Frank Marx & Iris, Gaudsmith Brothers & Company, Bill Rolls & Dorothy, Kingsley & Forde, and Henry Hall & His Orchestra.

When Frank retired Lenard Claxton the assistant took over and fought valiantly for the theatre and was in a lot of ways responsible for its survival. He stayed on when the corporation took over and retired a few years ago.

Right - A Bill for 'Call Us Mister!' at the Nottingham Empire in the 1950s - Courtesy Maurice Poole.

Above - Postcard of the Empire Theatre, Nottingham, also showing the Theatre Royal to the left of the picture

The Empire was demolished in the sixties (1969) and the concert hall now stands on the site.

(The Stage Manager at the Empire was George Rainburn who went to Brighton Hippodrome when the Empire closed - Alan Chudley.)

Left - The Theatre Royal, Nottingham in 1905 - From a postcard.

The Theatre Royal was refurbished with a magnificent new backstage and part of the frontage when the corporation took over in the seventies. It is still an extremely vibrant theatre. With the auditorium as it was in the Phipps days. The plaster work is specially listed and protected and you cannot drill into it in order to put up lamps or Kirby wires.

Right - A Bill for 'Peep Show' at the Nottingham Empire in 1957 - Courtesy Maurice Poole.

The above text on the Theatre Royal and Empire, Nottingham is from 'Moss Empires' Theatres in the Fifties' by Donald Auty and was very kindly sent in by him for inclusion on this site.

You may like to visit the Theatre Royal's own website here...

First Theatre Royal, St Mary's Gate, Nottingham

Later The Royal Alhambra Music Hall

Not to be confused with the Theatre Royal which is still operating in Nottingham today, (described above) there was an earlier Theatre Royal in St Mary's Gate which was built in 1760.

Right - A Bill for a Benefit for Mr. Pope and a performance of 'Provoked Husband' and 'No Song, No Supper' or 'The Lawyer in the Sack' at the St Mary's Gate Theatre Royal on August the 12th 1804 - Courtesy Alan Chudley.

This Theatre Royal became the Royal Alhambra Music Hall in April 1856, and then a restaurant in the 1880s.

The restaurant later closed due to it becoming a haunt of prostitutes and then became a Lace Warehouse around the turn of the Century.

The Theatre was destroyed by bombs during the war.

This information on the St. Mary's Gate Theatre Royal, Nottingham was kindly sent in by Alan Chudley.

If you have any more information or images for this Theatre that you are willing to share please Contact Me.

The Former Playhouse, Goldsmith Street, Nottingham

Formerly Pringles Picture Palace / Goldsmith Street Picture House / New Repertory Theatre / Little Theatre

Above - The Little Theatre during the run of 'The Merchant of Venice' Circa 1945 - Courtesy Alan Chudley

The first Playhouse Theatre in Nottingham was built in Goldsmith Street and originally opened as Pringles Picture Palace in 1910. This Theatre was built as a Cine-Variety Theatre and was equipped with a very small stage of only 12 foot deep by 18 foot wide, with a height of just 20 foot and no fly tower.

Right - Programme for 'Arms and the Man' at the Nottingham Playhouse - Courtesy Alan Chudley

By the 1940s it was in use as a repertory Theatre called the Little Theatre or New Repertory Theatre.

Left - Programme for 'Lucky Dip' at the Little Theatre, Nottingham in 1945 - Courtesy Alan Chudley

In 1948 the building became the Nottingham Playhouse whose company, led by Val May and Frank Dunlop, became very successful despite the hugely limiting effects of the Theatre's tiny stage. Eventually the Playhouse Company had a new Theatre built for them in 1963 (See Below) and the original Theatre became a furniture retail shop before being converted into a public House.

If you have any more information or images for this Theatre that you are willing to share please Contact Me.

The Current Playhouse, Wellington Circus, Nottingham

The current Nottingham Playhouse was built by Peter Moro who was involved with the designs of the interior of the Royal Festival Hall in London. The Theatre opened in 1963 with Sir Tyrone Guthrie’s production of Shakespeare's Coriolanus. The Theatre was built with a conventional proscenium arched stage and an auditorium which seated 770 and was constructed from concrete which was visible in its interior walls.

To see a 360 degree image of the stage and auditorium today click here.

In 1996 the Playhouse received a Grade II Listing, and in 2004 the Theatre received Heritage Lottery Funding and other grants totaling nearly £2 million to fund the building of a new bar and restaurant for the Theatre called 'Cast' and a new educational space. The Playhouse currently seats 750 people.

You may like to visit the Playhouse's own website here...

If you have any images for this Theatre that you are willing to share please Contact Me.

The Malt Cross Music Hall, 16 St James Street, Nottingham

The Malt Cross in Nottingham's St. James Street was built in 1877 as a Public House and Music Hall by William Taylor
for a Mr. Welson who was actually a plumber by trade.

The Hall, on the ground floor of this three storey building is around 45 foot long by 30 foot wide. There is a balcony around the three sides opposite the stage supported by iron columns. There was also another balconied space built below the main hall which was used as a restaurant. Music Hall ceased at the Malt Cross by 1914.

In 1997 the Hall was restored and now functions as a bar, restaurant, gallery, and performance venue.

For a 360 degree image of the Malt Cross today click here.

You may like to visit the Malt Cross Website here.

If you have any images for this Theatre that you are willing to share please Contact Me.

The Hippodrome Theatre, Nottingham

Above - Early postcard of Theatre Square, Nottingham showing the Hippodrome (Centre), the Theatre Royal, (Right), and to the far right of the image, part of the Empire Theatre.

The Nottingham Hippodrome was built by the respected Theatre Architect Bertie Crewe in 1908 and opened on the 28th of September that year.

Above - The Nottingham Hippodrome can be seen to the right of this early postcard.

The Theatre was the last of the Hippodromes to be built for Thomas Barrasford who died in Brighton in 1910, within two years of the Nottingham Hippodrome being built. He had a thing about building his Large Hippodromes on Oswald Stoll's doorstep. Stoll at the time was managing Director of Moss Empires. The Nottingham Grand was also owned by Moss Empires for many years, being turned over to Gaumount British in 1946. The Hippodrome had a stage 60 feet deep.

Above Right - APoster for the Leon Salberg Pantomime 'Bo-Peep' at the Nottingham Hippodrome for January the 21st 1924, a production which was performed with a similar cast at the Birmingham Alexandra Theatre the following year. - Courtesy Stephen Wischhusen.

The Nottingham Hippodrome was demolished some time after 1958.

Some of this information was kindly sent in by Alan Chudley

If you have any more information or images for this Theatre that you are willing to share please Contact Me.

Above - A Company Photograph for an unknown production at the Nottingham Hippodrome - Courtesy Noel Skinner, who says: 'My Grandfather, stage name Harry Cassidy, was on the music halls and I believe among other people he worked with were Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel, he is standing 3rd from the right in the natty bowler in this Photo.' If you know who any of the people in the cast or on the posters behind them were, or can pinpoint the date please Contact me here.

The Grand Theatre, Nottingham

Later Nottingham Repertory

The Nottingham Grand Theatre was built by E. Long in 1886 and was about a mile from the city Centre. The Theatre's stage was deeper then the Theatre Royal.

In 1930 the Theatre was converted into a Cinema.

The Grand was owned by Moss Empires for many years, being turned over to Gaumount British in 1946.

The Theatre was demolished in 1964.

If you have any more information or images for this Theatre that you are willing to share please Contact Me.

Crown & Cushion, Nottingham

Later Walker's / Coleno's Varieties

The Crown & Cushion Theatre was built in 1876.

The Theatre was working until 1908 and was eventually demolished.

If you have any more information or images for this Theatre that you are willing to share please Contact Me.

The Bulwell Olympia Theatre was built by Frederick Bull and opened on Monday May the 17th 1915 with a Variety show and a showing of the film 'Revenge of Thomas Atkins'. The Theatre continued in this vein until it closed in March 1922, and then remained closed until January 1928 when it reopened as a home for Drama.

Right - A Variety Programme for the Olympia Theatre, Bulwell - Courtesy Alan Chudley.

In October 1931 a Coal Mine beneath the Theatre subsided forcing the Theatre to close in December but the building was repaired and reopened the following February. Subsidence occurred again in May 1939 however, and large cracks in the supporting walls of the building began to appear, and the balcony front started to sag. This forced the Theatre to close again and it remained so until the end of the war when it was reopened as a Cinema.

The Theatre returned to live shows in January 1949 when Cecil Grace refurbished the house and re-equipped the Theatre with a new lighting system by Furse of Nottingham.

Productions included Variety and Pantomime but the Theatre soon resorted to showing mostly touring 'Girlie Show'.

A guesthouse in Bulwell was a regular home for the artistes of these shows whilst staying in the town, run by a Mr and Mrs Household, whose Guestbook can now be seen on the site here.

The Bulwell Olympia closed for the last time on Saturday the 12th of July 1952. The Theatre was then demolished to make way for a Woolworth's store which opened in December the following year. Apparently there are still some fragments left standing.

Above - A Programme for 'A Date With Eve' at the Olympia Theatre, Bulwell in October 1949 - Courtesy Alan Chudley.

Some of this information on the Bulwell Olympia was provided by Alan Chudley, and some details gleaned from the 'This is Nottingham' Website where you can also see a small photo of the Theatre. Also see - The Bulwell Olympia Guestbook.

If you have any more information or images for this Theatre that you are willing to share please Contact Me.

King's Theatre, Market Street, Nottingham

Formerly The Gaiety Palace of Varieties / Scala Cinema

Above - The Gaiety Palace of Varieties, which was later to become the King's Theatre - Courtesy Alan Chudley

The King's Theatre Nottingham was in Market Street, on the left hand side as one approached the Theatre Royal, and was within 60 yards of the Theatre Royal. The Theatre was built in 1878 and originally opened as The Gaiety Palace of Varieties, and was a conversion from a former skating rink.

The name was changed to the King's Theatre after the opening of the Empire Theatre and was part of the Frank Mac Naughton Circuit.

The Theatre was later adapted for Cinema use and was renamed The Scala Theatre, and used as a second release Cinema.

The Theatre was demolished in 1993.

Some of the above information was kindly sent in by Alan Chudley.

If you have any more information or images for this Theatre that you are willing to share please Contact Me.

Albert Hall, Nottingham

Above - An early Photograph of the 1910 rebuilt Albert Hall, Nottingham

Nottingham's original Albert Hall was designed by a local Nottingham architect Mr. Watson Fothergill and was commissioned by the Good Templars as a Temperance Hall. Building work began in September 1873 and despite some early problems with funding the Hall was eventually completed at a cost of £14,000.

Above - An early Photograph of the interior of the original Albert Hall, Nottingham

In 1901 the Hall was sold to a syndicate of local business men for £8,450 and converted into a Wesleyan Methodists Mission Hall which reopened in the following year.

On the 22nd of April 1906 this original Albert Hall was totally destroyed by fire.

Right - Postcard showing the fire which destroyed the Albert Hall, Nottingham on the 22nd of April 1906.

The back of the postcard (right) reads: 'I expect you would read about this in the paper. I didn't know about it untill after Chapel, but I went to have a look. It was still burning, It's the first time I have seen one burning. They were throng there with the water. This is just as it was when burning. Annie had asked me if I wanted to go to the Albert Hall instead of Wesley, on Sunday night but we didn't. If we had we should have got there to see it blazing. I have never been there and shant now. From M D Ri.'

Undeterred by the fire however, the Methodists set about a rebuild, this time employing the architect A. E. Lambert, who had previously designed the Midland Station. The new Albert Hall which was built in the style of a Music Hall or Theatre opened on the 15th of September 1910 and many concerts and other entertainments were put on there over the following years.

In 2008 the Albert Hall is still going strong and is billed as Nottingham and the East Midlands' Central Conference Venue. You may like to visit the Hall's own Website here.