William Henry Broadhead (21 September 1848–12 April 1931) was an English theatre builder and owner who was prominent in developing

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...

s and later cinemas in the north west of England in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Biography

According to his death notice and some sources he was born in

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...

, Nottinghamshire, Death notice: Mr W. H. Broadhead, ''The Guardian'', 13 April 1931, p.10
Retrieved 7 December 2022 though other sources give his birthplace as Birmingham or

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

. In his youth he lived in various cities with his parents, and became apprenticed to a firm of builders. By 1870, he had settled in Manchester, where he married Mary Ann Birch and set up business as a joiner, decorator, and builder. The business prospered, but by 1883 his health started to deteriorate and he took medical advice to move to the coast, settling in

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

. Victoria Garlick, "“Quick, Clean, Smart & Bright”: The Broadhead Theatres in Manchester", 2015
/ref> There, he took a lease on the Prince of Wales Baths in 1885, turning it into an aquatic theatre,Nick Moore, "Progress: A History of Blackpool, the Fylde, and South Wyre", ''Visit Fylde Coast''
Retrieved 7 December 2022 with later performances directed by his son, William Birch Broadhead (1873–1907). After the lease on the baths expired in 1896, W. H. Broadhead became a member of Blackpool Council and was involved in the development of Blackpool Tower. Working with his sons W. B. Broadhead and Percy Broadhead (1878–1955), he started to develop a string of theatres in and around Manchester, catering for "respectable" working class patrons. Starting with the Osborne Theatre in Manchester, the Broadheads built up a circuit of theatres in Manchester, Salford,

Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...

, Bury, Ashton-under-Lyne, and elsewhere, as well as larger entertainment complexes such as Morecambe Winter Gardens. By 1913, the circuit comprised 17 theatres and venues in the north west of England. They "made a significant contribution to working class amusements in both little-known and more popular areas", with a motto "Quick, Clean, Smart and Bright". The Broadhead circuit of theatres helped establish the careers of many noted

and variety performers, including Billy Merson, Jack Pleasants, Harry Weldon,

George Formby Sr. George Formby (born James Lawler Booth; 4 October 1875 – 8 February 1921) was an English comedian and singer in musical theatre, known as one of the greatest music hall performers of the early 20th century. His comedy played upon Lanca ...

Billy Williams Billy Leo Williams (born June 15, 1938) is a former left fielder and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played from 1959 to 1976, almost entirely for the Chicago Cubs. A six-time All-Star, Williams was named the 1961 National League (NL) ...

, Tom Foy,

G. H. Elliott George Henry Elliott (3 November 1882 – 19 November 1962) was a British music hall singer and dancer. Known as "The Chocolate Coloured Coon", he performed with a painted brown face and dressed entirely in white: white top hat, white tail-coat w ...

, and

Gracie Fields Dame Gracie Fields (born Grace Stansfield; 9 January 189827 September 1979) was an English actress, singer, comedian and star of cinema and music hall who was one of the top ten film stars in Britain during the 1930s and was considered the h ...

. They also provided venues for such stars as

Harry Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...

, Lillie Langtry, and

Fred Karno Frederick John Westcott (26 March 1866 – 17 September 1941), best known by his stage name Fred Karno, was an English theatre impresario of the British music hall. As a comedian of slapstick he is credited with popularising the custard-p ...

's troupe featuring

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...

."Welcome to the Hippodrome", ''BBC Manchester'', 1 April 2008
Retrieved 7 December 2022 William Henry Broadhead became a leading figure in Blackpool, where he "made his name as one of the men responsible for making the town into a hot spot for entertainment and variety". A member of the Liberal Party, he was mayor of Blackpool in 1905/06 and 1910/11,The Mayors of Blackpool, ''Blackpool Council''
Retrieved 7 December 2022 and was later elected as an alderman and a freeman of the borough. Broadhead died in Blackpool in 1931 at the age of 82, and was buried in Layton cemetery. Several of the family's theatres were sold in 1932. Alan Chudley, "The Broadhead Circuit", ''ArthurLloyd.co.uk''
Retrieved 7 December 2022 Some fell into disarray as the popularity of movies grew, and some were converted into cinemas. In later years, many of the buildings were demolished, and those remaining – the Morecambe Winter Gardens, the Tameside Hippodrome (formerly the Hippodrome, in Ashton-under-Lyne), and the Hulme Hippodrome – are now unused and at risk of demolition.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Broadhead, William Henry 1848 births 1931 deaths People from Blackpool Theatre owners