Catalogue

Once the Hanley Borough Council had taken over the firmer Queens Hotel in Hanley in 1886 from the brink of bankrupsy, thoughts turned to the need for large assembly hall. Usually, town councils frequently put out work of this magnitude to external consultants but in this case the brief was given to the borough engineer and surveyor, Mr Joseph Lobley. The site was to the rear of the town hall, situated on the former bowling green to the Queens Hotel. The new Assembly Hall had to be of a standard to compliment the new town hall and the reputation of Hanley, the most important and prestigious town in the Potteries.

The main feature of this concert hall has always been its outstanding acoustics, valued by world renowned artists. The main objective of Dr Talbot’s was to research the basic planning issues from the start. This meant a visit to the National Archives at Kew where discovered was the full details with drawings of how and why the Victoria Hall was designed and the impeccable dedication in getting it right by the architect, not a specialist but by the Hanley Borough’s own architect. The original name was to be The Assembly Room, but this was changed as it opened in the year of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. One other fact was that Elton John appeared there and performed to an audience totally overcome by his outlandish performance. Want to know more – well order your own copy with photographs.

This is a ‘First’ in the theatres history, the subject has never previously been approached despite having the important role of producing a local audience that would support a theatre in the town of Stoke. Planning permission was difficult as it was built of wood but in the end the council agreed to its building as it was meant as a trial theatre to support the building of a grand permanent theatre which it did. A great read with full details of the building but sadly there is no image available.

In the early 1950s children’s cinema matinees had become the norm and for the town of Stoke it was the ABC (Associated British Cinemas). Over a thousand children packed into the ‘ABC Minors Club’ at the old Majestic Cinema in Campbell Place, where children would hand over their precious six pence for a seat in the stalls and for the better-off nine pence for the circle. In the 1950’s these Saturday matinees became popular throughout the UK.
This article is a personal reflection of the author on the Saturday morning matinee at the Majestic cinema in Stoke. Quite a few surprises, even a letter from the once cinema manager who was called Aunty May who I traced living in Devon since retirement.
Memories kept flooding back regarding so many activities held, fancy dress, Christmas party, on state for a free ticket to celebrate the birthday children and much more. So, if interested in what the 1950s children got up to in those days, a great read and an eye opener.

The first theatre in the town of Stoke was a wooden one by the name of the Crown in what is Kingsway. It was built as a trial and struggled to obtain planning permission but achieved this as the owners stated it was to test the market in Stoke to see if people would attend. Following one year and a proven success it was quickly demolished and rebuilt as a stunning building with the benefits of luxury and art making it the most prestigious theatre of the district. Follow it life story until converted to a cinema and all the features removed to make it look a modern building.

Barnum and Bailey ‘s Greatest Show on Earth came to Stoke in 1898 and sadly the leading elephant had to be executed – by strangulation!

Sounds a strange title but it is a fact that the only method agreed by the USA with regards to the execution of elephants was by this method.  The most interesting thig is what actually happened to it once the elephant was dead. A great and interesting read.

With the closure of Hanley’s Theatre Royal in 1961, both Stoke, and the North Staffs Amateur Operatic Societies found them-selves without a venue. The North Staffs went to the Queens Theatre, Burslem and Stoke Society to a much larger venue, the Gaumont in Piccadilly Hanley, just across the road from the Royal. The Gaumont opened in 1929, at the height of the silent moves had a large stage, fly-tower, dressing rooms and orchestra pit with an electric organ, creating it as a dual-purpose venue so small acts and other entertainment including The Regent Girls could perform live by flying the screen into the tower. This enabled the Gaumont to stage the odd one-night stand just a few times a year which included some of the best entertainers around the circuit to packed houses of over two thousand.

This accounts give a details story of how the Stoke Amateurs presented many musicals with full orchestra and set with 17 lines. With their record of high attendance at each show convinced the Rank organisation to present pantomimes and other one and two night stands once the Theatre Royal closed proving that it could become a full working theatre with its Grade II* status meaning its future was secure. A great read for theatre lovers.