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Philharmonic Theatre, Islington
The Grand Theatre, Islington – formerly the Philharmonic, Islington, later the Empire, Islington, and finally the Empire Cinema – was a theatre and later a cinema in the London suburb of Islington. Opened in 1860 as a concert hall it became a theatre in the 1870s. After it was destroyed by fire in 1882 a replacement was designed by Frank Matcham; it opened in 1883, was burnt down in 1888, rebuilt to Matcham's designs, and burnt down again in 1900. Matcham again designed a replacement, which survived a 1933 fire and stood until the building was demolished in 1962. The theatre was home to French in the 1870s, Melodrama#Victorian, melodrama in the 1880s and a range of productions in the 1890s. It became a regular first stop for companies from the West End theatre, West End going on provincial tours, and many stars appeared there including Henry Irving, George Alexander (actor), George Alexander, Arthur Bourchier, Lottie Collins, Tom Costello (music hall), Tom Costello, Harry Rand ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Matcham
Francis Matcham (22 November 1854 – 17 May 1920)Mackintosh, Iain"Matcham, Frank" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, accessed 7 July 2019 was an English architect who specialised in the design of theatres and music halls. He worked extensively in London, predominantly under Moss Empires for whom he designed the Hippodrome, London, Hippodrome in 1900, Hackney Empire (1901), Shepherd's Bush Empire (1903), London Coliseum, Coliseum (1904), and London Palladium, Palladium (1910). His last major commission before retirement was the Victoria Palace Theatre in 1911 for the variety magnate Alfred Butt. During his 40-year career, Matcham was responsible for the design and construction of over 90 theatres and the redesign and refurbishment of a further 80 throughout the United Kingdom. Matcham was born in Newton Abbot, Devon, where he became apprenticed at the age of 14 to the architect George Soudon Bridgman. Matcham moved to London, aged 21, where he j ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
