The Battersea Palace, 32 York Road, Battersea, London
Formerly - The Washington Music Hall / Standard (Washington) Music Hall / Battersea Palace of Varieties / New Battersea Empire / Battersea Empire / Palace Theatre of Varieties / The Super Palace Cinema
Also
see in this area - Clapham's Theatres and Cinemas - The Riverside Theatre and Festival
Gardens, Battersea Park - The
Albert Palace and Open Air Theatre, Battersea
The
Battersea Palace was situated on York Road in Battersea, and originally
opened as the Washington Music Hall on Friday the 5th of November 1886. The
Theatre was situated next door to the Royal Standard Public House,
part of which was given up for the Theatre's construction. It was
designed by J. W. Brooker and constructed at a cost of £20,000
by G. A. Young for its owner George Washington Moore, hence the Washington
name. Moore was well known for his partnership with the Moore and
Burgess Minstrels, and he would go on to manage the Theatre for the
next 8 years.
Arthur Lloyd is known to have performed at the Washington Music Hall in 1890 and 1892.
The foundation stone for the Theatre was laid
by Victoria Moore on the 1st of July 1886 whilst the Theatre was still under construction. After the stone was
laid those in attendance were treated to a 'Sumptuous Luncheon' where
the Moore and Burgess Minstrels sung the National Anthem and both
George Moor and Frederick Burgess addressed the assembly.
Right - A Battersea Palace Music Hall Programme
whilst under the ownership of The Macnaghten Vaudeville Circuit -
Courtesy Peter Charlton.
In a report on the laying of the Foundation Stone the ERA of the 3rd of July 1886 went on to describe the Theatre now under construction saying:- 'The
Washington Music Hall and Theatre of Varieties will be completed about
the end of August next. It will accommodate over 900 persons.
Left - A brass plaque for The Washington Music Hall - Courtesy Clive Thomas. The size of the plaque is approximately 3.5in by 2in and has two holes for fixing it to something.
The auditorium will consist of a ground-floor space and one tier
or gallery, and there will be four private boxes close on the stage.
There will be ample exits and entrances. The exit passages will (on
the occasion of fire or panic) hold all the audience, for they are
spacious and lead straight and direct (and on the same level as the
ground floor of the hall) into the street. The ventilation will be
arranged in a satisfactory manner, and the comfort of the public will
be studied in every respect.
The seating and promenade spaces and refreshment bars are so arranged
that the stage is fully in view from every position in the hall. The
shape and height of the hall are such as will be most favourable to
sound and in accordance with acoustic principles
Right - The Auditorium
of the Battersea Palace Music Hall - From A Battersea Palace Programme
- Courtesy Peter Charlton.
The total superficial area of the hall is about 4800ft. The stage
will be 40ft. wide and 23ft. deep, and the proscenium opening 28ft.
There will be four spacious dressing - rooms, and every convenience
for the artists. The orchestra will be placed in a sunk well under
the front part of stage.
Refreshment bars will be provided at the rear of the audience on
the ground floor, and in the gallery. The advantage of placing these
behind the audience being, that the noise of talking there will not
disturb the audience and artistes, so much as is the case when the
refreshment bars are at the side of audience or near stage.
The decorations will be light cream and ivory colour, heightened
with gold, the ornaments being of papier mache. Ample water supply
tanks and hydrants will be provided, &c. The lighting will be
principally by a large sun-burner, in centre of hall ceiling, and
Wenham lamps under the galleries, with metal tubes to carry off the
fumes and heat into flues built in the side walls. The building and
works are being carried out by Mr G. A. Young, contractor, from the
designs, and under the supervision of Mr J. W. Brooker, Architect,
London-bridge.'
The above text in quotes was first published in the ERA, 3rd of July 1886.
As it
was situated next door to the Royal Standard Public House the Theatre
was originally planned to be called the Royal Standard Music Hall,
but in the end this name was never used, possibly because it could
have been confused with the Royal
Standard Music Hall in Victoria. The Theatre was however sometimes
known as the Standard (Washington) Music Hall on various occasions
until 1900.
In 1900 the Theatre was renamed the Battersea Palace of Varieties but the
following year the name reverted back to the Washington Music Hall.
In 1902 it was renamed the
New Battersea Empire but by 1903 it was known as the more simple Battersea Empire. This name remained
until 1908 when the Theatre
was renamed the Palace Theatre of Varieties.
In 1917 the Theatre was renamed again, this time to the Battersea Palace,
a name it retained until it was renamed The Super Palace in the 1920s
when it began operating as a Cine Variety Theatre.
In the 1920s / 1930s the Theatre was taken
over by Marcus Bloom and his Father under their Company title 'Super
Shows Ltd Ltd'.
The Theatre finally closed in 1958 and then
remained dark and derelict until it was eventually demolished in the
late 1960s, the site was used for new housing.
Archive newspaper reports on this page were collated and kindly
sent in for inclusion by B.F.
If you have any more information or images for this Theatre that
you are willing to share please Contact
me.
The
Battersea Palace was situated on York Road in Battersea, and originally
opened as the Washington Music Hall on Friday the 5th of November 1886. The
Theatre was situated next door to the Royal Standard Public House,
part of which was given up for the Theatre's construction. It was
designed by J. W. Brooker and constructed at a cost of £20,000
by G. A. Young for its owner George Washington Moore, hence the Washington
name. Moore was well known for his partnership with the Moore and
Burgess Minstrels, and he would go on to manage the Theatre for the
next 8 years.
Arthur Lloyd is known to have performed at the Washington Music Hall in 1890 and 1892.
The foundation stone for the Theatre was laid by Victoria Moore on the 1st of July 1886 whilst the Theatre was still under construction. After the stone was laid those in attendance were treated to a 'Sumptuous Luncheon' where the Moore and Burgess Minstrels sung the National Anthem and both George Moor and Frederick Burgess addressed the assembly.
Right - A Battersea Palace Music Hall Programme whilst under the ownership of The Macnaghten Vaudeville Circuit - Courtesy Peter Charlton.
In a report on the laying of the Foundation Stone the ERA of the 3rd of July 1886 went on to describe the Theatre now under construction saying:- 'The
Washington Music Hall and Theatre of Varieties will be completed about
the end of August next. It will accommodate over 900 persons.
Left - A brass plaque for The Washington Music Hall - Courtesy Clive Thomas. The size of the plaque is approximately 3.5in by 2in and has two holes for fixing it to something.
The auditorium will consist of a ground-floor space and one tier or gallery, and there will be four private boxes close on the stage. There will be ample exits and entrances. The exit passages will (on the occasion of fire or panic) hold all the audience, for they are spacious and lead straight and direct (and on the same level as the ground floor of the hall) into the street. The ventilation will be arranged in a satisfactory manner, and the comfort of the public will be studied in every respect.
The seating and promenade spaces and refreshment bars are so arranged
that the stage is fully in view from every position in the hall. The
shape and height of the hall are such as will be most favourable to
sound and in accordance with acoustic principles
Right - The Auditorium of the Battersea Palace Music Hall - From A Battersea Palace Programme - Courtesy Peter Charlton.
The total superficial area of the hall is about 4800ft. The stage will be 40ft. wide and 23ft. deep, and the proscenium opening 28ft. There will be four spacious dressing - rooms, and every convenience for the artists. The orchestra will be placed in a sunk well under the front part of stage.
Refreshment bars will be provided at the rear of the audience on the ground floor, and in the gallery. The advantage of placing these behind the audience being, that the noise of talking there will not disturb the audience and artistes, so much as is the case when the refreshment bars are at the side of audience or near stage.
The decorations will be light cream and ivory colour, heightened with gold, the ornaments being of papier mache. Ample water supply tanks and hydrants will be provided, &c. The lighting will be principally by a large sun-burner, in centre of hall ceiling, and Wenham lamps under the galleries, with metal tubes to carry off the fumes and heat into flues built in the side walls. The building and works are being carried out by Mr G. A. Young, contractor, from the designs, and under the supervision of Mr J. W. Brooker, Architect, London-bridge.'
The above text in quotes was first published in the ERA, 3rd of July 1886.
As it was situated next door to the Royal Standard Public House the Theatre was originally planned to be called the Royal Standard Music Hall, but in the end this name was never used, possibly because it could have been confused with the Royal Standard Music Hall in Victoria. The Theatre was however sometimes known as the Standard (Washington) Music Hall on various occasions until 1900.
In 1900 the Theatre was renamed the Battersea Palace of Varieties but the following year the name reverted back to the Washington Music Hall. In 1902 it was renamed the New Battersea Empire but by 1903 it was known as the more simple Battersea Empire. This name remained until 1908 when the Theatre was renamed the Palace Theatre of Varieties.
In 1917 the Theatre was renamed again, this time to the Battersea Palace, a name it retained until it was renamed The Super Palace in the 1920s when it began operating as a Cine Variety Theatre.
In the 1920s / 1930s the Theatre was taken over by Marcus Bloom and his Father under their Company title 'Super Shows Ltd Ltd'.
The Theatre finally closed in 1958 and then remained dark and derelict until it was eventually demolished in the late 1960s, the site was used for new housing.
Archive newspaper reports on this page were collated and kindly sent in for inclusion by B.F.
If you have any more information or images for this Theatre that you are willing to share please Contact me.