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The co-architects of the second Place were [[John Johnson (architect, born 1807)|John Johnson]] and [[Alfred Meeson]].They worked with an expert in stage machinery called Thomas Walford Grieve, son of [[Thomas Grieve (painter)|Thomas Grieve]], who designed sets for many London theatres during the 19th century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Set design by the Grieve family, probably Thomas Walford Grieve |url=https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1315843/set-design-by-the-grieve-set-design-grieve-thomas-walford/ |website=Collections V&A}}</ref>
The co-architects of the second Place were [[John Johnson (architect, born 1807)|John Johnson]] and [[Alfred Meeson]].They worked with an expert in stage machinery called Thomas Walford Grieve, son of [[Thomas Grieve (painter)|Thomas Grieve]], who designed sets for many London theatres during the 19th century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Set design by the Grieve family, probably Thomas Walford Grieve |url=https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1315843/set-design-by-the-grieve-set-design-grieve-thomas-walford/ |website=Collections V&A}}</ref>


According to articles in the Era in 1874 and the Hornsey Journal in 1901<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |date=April 1901 |title=Comments and Pencillings |pages=2 |work=Hornsey and Finsbury Park Journal |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004660/19010413/005/0002}}</ref>, the theatre could hold 4,000 people<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 1874 |title=Alexandra Palace |pages=12 |work=The Era |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000053/18740607/022/0012}}</ref> and the stage could hold hundreds<ref name=":5" />. It had a floor area about the same as Drury Lane<ref>{{Cite book |last=Harris |first=Janet |title=Alexandra Palace A Hidden History |publisher=Tempus Publishing |year=2005 |isbn=978 0 7524 3636 4 |edition=2nd |pages=18}}</ref>, but whereas the area of the Drury Lane stage is about half that of theatre area, that of Alexandra Palace Theatre is about a quarter, <ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=McAndrew |first=Marlene |title=Alexandra Palace Theatre |publisher=Hornsey Historical Society |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-905794-48-8}}</ref> with a distance of 38 metres between the back row of the stalls to the stage.<ref name=":1" /> There were statues on either side of the proscenium arch.<ref name=":6">{{Cite news |date=May 1875 |title=Alexandra Palace Theatre |pages=11 |work=The Era |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000053/18750509/024/0011}}</ref>
According to articles in the Era in 1874 and the Hornsey Journal in 1901<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |date=April 1901 |title=Comments and Pencillings |pages=2 |work=Hornsey and Finsbury Park Journal |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004660/19010413/005/0002}}</ref>, the theatre could hold 4,000 people<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 1874 |title=Alexandra Palace |pages=12 |work=The Era |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000053/18740607/022/0012}}</ref> and the stage could hold hundreds<ref name=":5" />. It had a floor area about the same as Drury Lane<ref name=":9">{{Cite book |last=Harris |first=Janet |title=Alexandra Palace A Hidden History |publisher=Tempus Publishing |year=2005 |isbn=978 0 7524 3636 4 |edition=2nd |pages=18}}</ref>, but whereas the area of the Drury Lane stage is about half that of theatre area, that of Alexandra Palace Theatre is about a quarter, <ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=McAndrew |first=Marlene |title=Alexandra Palace Theatre |publisher=Hornsey Historical Society |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-905794-48-8}}</ref> with a distance of 38 metres between the back row of the stalls to the stage.<ref name=":1" /> There were statues on either side of the proscenium arch.<ref name=":6">{{Cite news |date=May 1875 |title=Alexandra Palace Theatre |pages=11 |work=The Era |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000053/18750509/024/0011}}</ref>


Most of the audience were seated in the raked floor are but there were also 2 balconies, neither of which reached to the proscenium arch of the stage as was the case in many other London theatres of the time<ref name=":4" /> <ref name=":6" />, and it was reported that the stage could be seen from all seats<ref name=":6" />. According reports at the time the acoustics were good from every seat<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=June 1874 |title=Alexandara Palace |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000053/18740607/022/0012 |website=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref><ref name=":6" /> but others reported that the actors had to 'throw' their voices in order to be heard well by everyone.<ref name=":7">{{Cite news |date=May 1885 |title=Alexandra Palace |pages=15 |work=The Era |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000053/18850523/036/0015}}</ref>
Most of the audience were seated in the raked floor are but there were also 2 balconies, neither of which reached to the proscenium arch of the stage as was the case in many other London theatres of the time<ref name=":4" /> <ref name=":6" />, and it was reported that the stage could be seen from all seats<ref name=":6" />. According reports at the time the acoustics were good from every seat<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=June 1874 |title=Alexandara Palace |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000053/18740607/022/0012 |website=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref><ref name=":6" /> but others reported that the actors had to 'throw' their voices in order to be heard well by everyone.<ref name=":7">{{Cite news |date=May 1885 |title=Alexandra Palace |pages=15 |work=The Era |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000053/18850523/036/0015}}</ref>
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The theatre was originally lit by [[gaslight]] [[Chandelier|using gaseliers]] suspended from the ceiling<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=May 1875 |title=Alexandra Palace Theatre |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000053/18750509/024/0011 |website=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref> but also had natural light through glazed roofing and six large sash windows, which were blocked with dark screen during performances<ref name=":3" />. The theatre was one of the first to install electric lighting in 1898<ref name=":1" />, and the [[Salt Water Dimmers|saltwater dimmers]] used to control the brightness of the lights can still be seen backstage at the theatre.
The theatre was originally lit by [[gaslight]] [[Chandelier|using gaseliers]] suspended from the ceiling<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=May 1875 |title=Alexandra Palace Theatre |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000053/18750509/024/0011 |website=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref> but also had natural light through glazed roofing and six large sash windows, which were blocked with dark screen during performances<ref name=":3" />. The theatre was one of the first to install electric lighting in 1898<ref name=":1" />, and the [[Salt Water Dimmers|saltwater dimmers]] used to control the brightness of the lights can still be seen backstage at the theatre.


Early performances at the theatre included the operetta Breaking the Spell by [[Jacques Offenbach|Offenbach,]] a pantomime based on the fairy tale [[The Yellow Dwarf]], and a ballet called Minerva.
Early performances at the theatre included the operetta Breaking the Spell by [[Jacques Offenbach|Offenbach,]] a pantomime based on the fairy tale [[The Yellow Dwarf]], and a ballet called Minerva<ref name=":10">{{Cite book |last=Willmott Nigel, Breary Patricia |first= |title=Drama at the Palace: Victorian Heyday: The Alexandra Palace Theatre 1873-1901 |publisher=North One Communications Ltd |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-9930727-0-3}}</ref>.


== 1901 - Alexandra Palace Trust ==
== 1901 - Alexandra Palace Trust ==
An unprotected [[Cinematograph]] film projector was installed in 1901<ref name=":1" /> and the theatre was mostly used as a cinema<ref name=":1" />. The audience were allowed to smoke in the auditorium and as the projector was used to project highly flammable film, there was an inevitable fire risk.
An unprotected [[Cinematograph]] film projector was installed in 1901<ref name=":1" /> and the theatre was mostly used as a cinema<ref name=":1" />. The audience were allowed to smoke in the auditorium and as the projector was used to project highly flammable film, there was an inevitable fire risk. Middlesex County Council ordered some work to be done in order to prevent fire.<ref name=":5" /> and as a result the theatre was closed from 1907-1908. One of these precautions was to build a box around the projector<ref name=":1" />, which can still be seen in the theatre today.<ref name=":11">{{Cite book |last=Willmott Nigel, Brearley Patricia |first= |title=Drama at the Palace 2 Lost and Found:The Alexandra Place Theatre 1901-2019 |publisher=North One Communications Ltd |year=2019 |isbn=978-0-9930727-1-0}}</ref> Another was to fit a large iron girder weighing 6 tons and 40 feet long above the proscenium arch of the stage to be used with a fire-proof safety curtain dividing the auditorium from the stage.<ref name=":5" /> The upper balcony was removed, wooden staircases to the other balcony were replaced and covered with brick walls, and emergency exits and an outside staircase added.

The Middlesex County Council ordered some work to be done in order to prevent fire.<ref name=":5" /> and as a result the theatre was closed from 1907-1908. One of these precautions was to build a box around the projector<ref name=":1" />, which can still be seen in the theatre today.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Willmott and Brearley |first=Nigel and Patricia |title=Drama at the Palace 2 Lost and Found:The Alexandra Place Theatre 1901-2019 |publisher=North One Communications Ltd |year=2019 |isbn=978-0-9930727-1-0}}</ref> Another was to fit a large iron girder weighing 6 tons and 40 feet long above the proscenium arch of the stage to be used with a fire-proof safety curtain dividing the auditorium from the stage.<ref name=":5" /> The upper bacony was removed, wooden staircase to the other balcony were replace and covered with brick walls, and emergency exits and an outside staircase were also built.


Mr Macklin was the manager of the the theatre but also acted in productions<ref name=":7" />.
Mr Macklin was the manager of the the theatre but also acted in productions<ref name=":7" />.


From 1875 to 1900 Alexandra Palace was privately owned but In 1901 the palace and park became owned by the Alexandra Park Trust under the Alexandra Park and Palace (Public Purposes) Act..<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gay |first=Ken |title=Palace on the Hill. A history of Alexandra Palace and Park |publisher=Hornsey Historical Society |year=1992 |isbn=0 905794 08 7 |pages=21}}</ref>
From 1875 to 1900 Alexandra Palace was privately owned, but In 1901 the palace and park became owned by the Alexandra Park Trust under the Alexandra Park and Palace (Public Purposes) Act..<ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last=Gay |first=Ken |title=Palace on the Hill. A history of Alexandra Palace and Park |publisher=Hornsey Historical Society |year=1992 |isbn=0 905794 08 7 |pages=21}}</ref>


== World War I ==
== World War I ==
During WW1 the entire Palace was requisitioned as a transit camp for Belgian refugees<ref name=":12" /> and then as an internment camp. The theatre was used for many purposes including a dormitory<ref name=":11" />, chapel, cinema and a space in which internees performed concerts.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":10" />


== 1922-1936 ==
== 1922-1936 ==


The theatre was refurbished in 1922, with the general manager, [[W. J. MacQueen-Pope]], spending the war reparation money on refurbishing the auditorium. He abandoned the understage machinery that produced the effects necessary in Victorian melodrama; although much of the machinery is preserved<ref name=":8" />,
The theatre general manager, [[W. J. MacQueen-Pope]] decided to use the war reparation money on refurbishing the auditorium. The upper balcony was removed, a new staircase added to the remaining balcony, and new mouldings added to the ceiling<ref name=":11" />. It was reported that the theatre was now a 'comfortable, warm, modern playhouse capable of staging the biggest shows'. <ref>{{Cite news |date=1 Feb 1923 |title=Alexandra Palace Theatre |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000053/19230201/129/0010 |work=The Era |pages=10}}</ref>The work was completed in 1923. He abandoned the understage machinery that produced the effects necessary in Victorian melodrama; although much of the machinery is preserved. <ref name=":8" />


In 1926 the theatre was leased by [[Archie Pitt]]<ref name=":1" />, then husband of [[Gracie Fields]], who appeared in the theatre. Fields also drew an audience of 5,000 people to the hall for a charity event.
In 1926 the theatre was leased by [[Archie Pitt]]<ref name=":1" />, then husband of [[Gracie Fields]], who appeared in the theatre. Fields also drew an audience of 5,000 people to the hall for a charity event.

Revision as of 11:29, 5 April 2024

Stage Machinery at Alexandra Palace
Weights used with stage machinery

Alexandra Palace Theatre was originally built in 1873, designed for performance of opera and ballet, but within a few weeks was burnt to the ground with the rest of the Palace. It was rebuilt and reopened, along with the rest of the palace in 1875, It included a 22 foot cellar below the stage with complex machinery[1] [2]for use in scene changes and movement of actors. It fell into disrepair for xx years but was reopened in 2018 after refurbishment. The stage machinery is Grade I listed and one of the few surviving in the country

1875 - rebuilt theatre

The co-architects of the second Place were John Johnson and Alfred Meeson.They worked with an expert in stage machinery called Thomas Walford Grieve, son of Thomas Grieve, who designed sets for many London theatres during the 19th century.[3]

According to articles in the Era in 1874 and the Hornsey Journal in 1901[4], the theatre could hold 4,000 people[5] and the stage could hold hundreds[4]. It had a floor area about the same as Drury Lane[6], but whereas the area of the Drury Lane stage is about half that of theatre area, that of Alexandra Palace Theatre is about a quarter, [7] with a distance of 38 metres between the back row of the stalls to the stage.[7] There were statues on either side of the proscenium arch.[8]

Most of the audience were seated in the raked floor are but there were also 2 balconies, neither of which reached to the proscenium arch of the stage as was the case in many other London theatres of the time[2] [8], and it was reported that the stage could be seen from all seats[8]. According reports at the time the acoustics were good from every seat[9][8] but others reported that the actors had to 'throw' their voices in order to be heard well by everyone.[10]

The theatre was originally lit by gaslight using gaseliers suspended from the ceiling[11] but also had natural light through glazed roofing and six large sash windows, which were blocked with dark screen during performances[11]. The theatre was one of the first to install electric lighting in 1898[7], and the saltwater dimmers used to control the brightness of the lights can still be seen backstage at the theatre.

Early performances at the theatre included the operetta Breaking the Spell by Offenbach, a pantomime based on the fairy tale The Yellow Dwarf, and a ballet called Minerva[12].

1901 - Alexandra Palace Trust

An unprotected Cinematograph film projector was installed in 1901[7] and the theatre was mostly used as a cinema[7]. The audience were allowed to smoke in the auditorium and as the projector was used to project highly flammable film, there was an inevitable fire risk. Middlesex County Council ordered some work to be done in order to prevent fire.[4] and as a result the theatre was closed from 1907-1908. One of these precautions was to build a box around the projector[7], which can still be seen in the theatre today.[13] Another was to fit a large iron girder weighing 6 tons and 40 feet long above the proscenium arch of the stage to be used with a fire-proof safety curtain dividing the auditorium from the stage.[4] The upper balcony was removed, wooden staircases to the other balcony were replaced and covered with brick walls, and emergency exits and an outside staircase added.

Mr Macklin was the manager of the the theatre but also acted in productions[10].

From 1875 to 1900 Alexandra Palace was privately owned, but In 1901 the palace and park became owned by the Alexandra Park Trust under the Alexandra Park and Palace (Public Purposes) Act..[14]

World War I

During WW1 the entire Palace was requisitioned as a transit camp for Belgian refugees[14] and then as an internment camp. The theatre was used for many purposes including a dormitory[13], chapel, cinema and a space in which internees performed concerts.[6][12]

1922-1936

The theatre general manager, W. J. MacQueen-Pope decided to use the war reparation money on refurbishing the auditorium. The upper balcony was removed, a new staircase added to the remaining balcony, and new mouldings added to the ceiling[13]. It was reported that the theatre was now a 'comfortable, warm, modern playhouse capable of staging the biggest shows'. [15]The work was completed in 1923. He abandoned the understage machinery that produced the effects necessary in Victorian melodrama; although much of the machinery is preserved. [1]

In 1926 the theatre was leased by Archie Pitt[7], then husband of Gracie Fields, who appeared in the theatre. Fields also drew an audience of 5,000 people to the hall for a charity event.

1936-1969

The east section of Alexandra Palace, including the theatre .was leased to the BBC[16].

References

  1. ^ a b "Victroian Special Effects: Stage Machinery at Alexandra Palace". Google Arts and Culture.
  2. ^ a b "Alexandra Palace Theatre". Theatres Trust.
  3. ^ "Set design by the Grieve family, probably Thomas Walford Grieve". Collections V&A.
  4. ^ a b c d "Comments and Pencillings". Hornsey and Finsbury Park Journal. April 1901. p. 2.
  5. ^ "Alexandra Palace". The Era. June 1874. p. 12.
  6. ^ a b Harris, Janet (2005). Alexandra Palace A Hidden History (2nd ed.). Tempus Publishing. p. 18. ISBN 978 0 7524 3636 4.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g McAndrew, Marlene (2013). Alexandra Palace Theatre. Hornsey Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-905794-48-8.
  8. ^ a b c d "Alexandra Palace Theatre". The Era. May 1875. p. 11.
  9. ^ "Alexandara Palace". British Newspaper Archive. June 1874.
  10. ^ a b "Alexandra Palace". The Era. May 1885. p. 15.
  11. ^ a b "Alexandra Palace Theatre". British Newspaper Archive. May 1875.
  12. ^ a b Willmott Nigel, Breary Patricia (1988). Drama at the Palace: Victorian Heyday: The Alexandra Palace Theatre 1873-1901. North One Communications Ltd. ISBN 978-0-9930727-0-3.
  13. ^ a b c Willmott Nigel, Brearley Patricia (2019). Drama at the Palace 2 Lost and Found:The Alexandra Place Theatre 1901-2019. North One Communications Ltd. ISBN 978-0-9930727-1-0.
  14. ^ a b Gay, Ken (1992). Palace on the Hill. A history of Alexandra Palace and Park. Hornsey Historical Society. p. 21. ISBN 0 905794 08 7.
  15. ^ "Alexandra Palace Theatre". The Era. 1 Feb 1923. p. 10.
  16. ^ "Alexandra Palace The birthplace of television". History of the BBC.
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