The Grand Theatre was a playhouse in

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

, England from 1898 until it was demolished in 1960.Grand Theatre, Southampton
Sotonopedia: the A-Z of Southampton's History The Grand Theatre stood on the corner of Windsor Terrace and Civic Centre Road. It was constructed in 1898 but included some 18th-century buildings on its east side. It was designed by the architects William Hope and J. C. Maxwell of

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

and was built by Messrs Jenkins & Sons of Southampton in red brick with

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

dressings in a French Renaissance style. The front entrance was enhanced with a balustrade above and a central tower, at the top of which was a high domed lantern fitted with a purple light.Grand Theatre, Southampton
Theatres Trust website The theatre was owned by Frederick Mouillot and H. H. 'Mackenzie' Morell, who put on productions with their own company with which they toured the provinces. Among the many theatres the two owned was the

Swansea Grand Theatre Swansea Grand Theatre is a performing arts venue in the centre of Swansea, Wales. The theatre stages plays, pantomimes and touring theatrical acts visiting Swansea. Swansea Grand Theatre was the base for the UK's only Russian ballet company, ...

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

.Grand Theatre, Southampton
Arthur Lloyd.co.uk - The Music Hall and Theatre History Site The theatre's dressing rooms had originally been The Weighbridge, the former home of the Aslatt family in the 19th century, which was acquired by the theatre after the death of Henry Poate Aslatt in 1905. Grand Theatre Southampton 1907

It opened on 5 December 1898 with a performance of ''The Little Minister'' by Frederick Harrison; it was performed by the theatrical company of

Cyril Maude Cyril Francis Maude (24 April 1862 — 20 February 1951) was an English actor-manager. Biography Maude was born in London and educated at Wixenford School, Wixenford and Charterhouse School. In 1881, he was sent to Adelaide, South Australia, on ...

. The foundation stone was dedicated by the actress Mrs Kendal on 15 November 1898. The theatre's horseshoe-shaped auditorium was 60 feet (18 metres) wide and two-tiered, with the Circle on the first tier and the Gallery on the second above that. The stage was 53 feet (16 m) in height from the floor to the grid and 37 feet (11 m) in depth. Below the stage was a large scene dock, a properties room, large cellars and a mezzanine floor. The theatre could seat 1,800 patrons and had electrical lighting throughout, with gas as an additional system. The Grand Theatre was a "legitimate" theatre as it was a venue for plays, dramas and

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

s performed by touring theatrical companies as opposed to

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

acts. Among the performers to appear at the theatre were

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including by Alexandre Dumas fils, ...

and

Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...

. In 1904

Ellen Terry Dame Alice Ellen Terry (27 February 184721 July 1928) was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and toured ...

and her daughter

Edith Craig Edith Ailsa Geraldine Craig ( Edith Godwin; 9 December 1869 – 27 March 1947), known as Edy Craig, was a prolific theatre director, producer, costume designer and early pioneer of the women's suffrage movement in England. She was the daughte ...

appeared at the theatre in ''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. ...

''. The actor and theatre impresario Alfred Denville produced

repertory A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom ...

plays at the Grand Theatre during the 1930s, and among the many actors who appeared in his productions at that time was

Peter Cushing Peter Wilton Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage and radio roles. He achieved recognition f ...

, who stayed with the company for about nine months. Early in its history the theatre was equipped to show bioscope films, with films of local events of interest being screened on 31 May 1902. On 2 July 1913 five short

Kinemacolor Kinemacolor was the first successful colour motion picture process. Used commercially from 1909 to 1915, it was invented by George Albert Smith in 1906. It was a two-colour additive colour process, photographing a black-and-white film behind ...

films were shown.Grand Theatre, Southampton
Cinema Treasures website The Grand Theatre became "The New Hippodrome" from 25 March 1939 until 14 September 1940, when it closed. It was used to provide accommodation for soldiers during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. With the end of war the theatre was renovated and, under its old name of the Grand Theatre, hosted dramas with its resident repertory company. As audiences dwindled in the 1950s as television became more popular, the theatre featured more

striptease A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper", "exotic d ...

shows. The theatre finally closed in 1959 and was demolished in 1960. Marland House, a large commercial office block in the

Brutalist Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the b ...

style was constructed on the site in 1963 providing offices for local social services. On the demolition of this in about 2016 a new Marland House was built providing student accommodation for the nearby

University of Southampton The University of Southampton (abbreviated as ''Soton'' in post-nominal letters) is a public university, public research university in Southampton, England. Southampton is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universit ...

.Marland House
Sotonopedia: the A-Z of Southampton's History

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grand Theatre, Southampton 1898 establishments Buildings and structures in Southampton 1960 disestablishments in England Former theatres in England History of Southampton 1898 establishments in England Theatres completed in 1898