Normally hidden by modern advertisements for the Grand Opera House in York, which sit in the white frames and are highlighted by floodlights, these old advertisements have been revealed during the recent lockdown while the theatre has been closed.
The Grand Opera House in Cumberland Street was originally built as a Corn Exchange and warehouse in 1868 and was subsequently converted into a Theatre by J. P. Briggs for the owner William Peacock in 1902. The Theatre opened on January the 20th 1902 with a production of 'Little Red Riding Hood' which starred Florrie Ford.
The Theatre was owned and run by William Peacock and his family right up until 1945, and put on a great variety of productions including Music Hall, Pantomime, Variety, Opera, Plays, and even some of the early Silent Films.
From 1945, as a Butterworth Theatre the Empire, as it was now known, descended the scale to a number two Variety House, but just as when it was a Peacock house, the occasional Number one musical was still presented once nightly.
In 1958 the Theatre was bought by Shepherd of the Shambles and renamed the S. S. Empire. At this time the auditorium was reconstructed, removing the Stalls Boxes and Stage and flooring over the Stalls so that the space could be used for Roller Skating, Dancing, Bingo, Boxing and Wrestling. It is from this time that the Ghost Signs date.
In 1987 the Theatre was bought by the India Pru Company who invested £4m into restoring it back to its previous incarnation as a live Theatre by reinstating the Stage and reconstructing and redecorating the auditorium back to its original design. At this time a new Foyer was also installed under the Stage. It was sold again in 2009 to the Ambassador Theatre Group. It has become a popular venue, at least until the lockdowns of the last year.
The historical information is condensed from
http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/YorkTheatres.htm
Ian
Thank you all for your lovely comments and fav, they are very much appreciated.
There has been a quite vocal online demand that these should be restored and left on display. We will see.
Ian
These adverts date from around 1958, which is when the theatre was converted for such activities.
Ian
Thank you Vesna - it is nice to see these little glimpses of the past.
Ian