Royal Victoria Hall, Southborough
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| This article, Royal Victoria Hall, Southborough, has recently been created via the Articles for creation process. Please check to see if the reviewer has accidentally left this template after accepting the draft and take appropriate action as necessary.
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Comment: I have removed a paragraph copied verbatim from http://www.friendsofroyalvictoriahall.org.uk/history . NewYorkActuary (talk) 23:38, 30 August 2017 (UTC)
- Comment: Since you asked at the Draft help desk, I'll comment and say this is likely notable, but could still need all additional in-depth sources overall. SwisterTwister talk 06:06, 9 November 2016 (UTC)
- Comment: As requested at the Help desk, I have moved an in-article external link to the External Links section (though the link itself seems unnecessary, given that we already have a linked article on the person elsewhere on Wikipedia). I also removed references to user-generated sites, one for being unreliable and another (Vimeo) because it isn't clear whether the upload there was done in violation of a copyright. And I've conformed the headings to the Manual of Style.Even with these changes, however, the draft is not ready for publication. Most of the references are in the form of bare URLs, which runs afoul of Wikipedia's referencing policy. These need to be formatted and the {{cite web}} and {{cite newspaper}} will be helpful for doing this.The draft also suffers from a non-encyclopedic tone, which is another valid basis for declining the submission.The draft could also use a thorough copy edit, particularly for run-on sentences, poor punctuation, and incomplete items. NewYorkActuary (talk) 21:15, 8 November 2016 (UTC)
Royal Victoria Hall, Kent was historically notable as the first Municipally funded theatre in England. It stood on London Road, Southborough, Kent and opened on 17th January 1900 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.
A significant sum for the construction costs was raised by Sir David Lionel Goldsmid-Stern-Salomons, 2nd Baronet,[1] who resided at nearby Broomhill. Sir David is the nephew of Sir David Salomons the 1st Baronet. Such was his standing that he unusually obtained permission to use the Royal Coat of Arms for the theatre on the proscenium arch above the stage.
Design
The design of Royal Victoria Hall is based on the Sir David Lionel's notable Science Theatre at Broomhill.
The Courier article 25th January 1900 cited the altruistic nature of Sir David Lionel insisting on using local labour and materials where possible, notably including bricks manufactured in nearby High Brooms
Sir David Lionel was a meticulous designer. The rake of the seating enhanced the comfort of the theatre goers. The proscenium is extremely rare nowadays. There were ladies and gentlemens green rooms either side of the stage, The kitchen was in the basement to allow substantial catering when the theatre converted to a Hall, Indeed many large functions were held at the Hall. The outside had ornamental verandah of glass and iron, which was specially designed and erected by the prestigious foundry works in Scotland Messrs. Macfarlane & Co., of Glasgow.
Frontage
The original frontage included wrought iron canopy. There was a gated and wrought iron fence to separate the road, this was later replaced with brick wall.
In the 1970's. the frontage was substantially refurbished to allow alterations externally. The design then matched the next door, and earlier built, Council Offices.
Commemorative plaque
In 1909, a commemorative plaque was unveiled by dignitaries, recognising the significant contribution of Sir David Lionel. The inscription states "This hall was erected in 1899, to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria's reign. Three-quarters of the cost was contributed by Sir David Salomons, Bart[Baronet], of Broomhill, the remainder by the [Southborough] Urban District Council upon the condition that the hall should be under the control of the Urban District Council for the benefit of the inhabitants of Southborough.
Royal Connections
Such was Sir David Lionel's connections, he sought use of the prefix Royal for the Victoria Hall, despite Queen Victoria not having visited the Hall.
Her Majesty granted a licence to use the Royal Coat of Arms on September 5th 1899. The Hall was opened on Wednesday January 17th 1900, with two patriotic concerts in aid of the Transvaal War Fund.
Events, concerts, radio shows, and pantomimes
The Royal Victoria Hall was meticulously designed to hold a variety of functions to maximise usability. Whilst the latter years became synonymous with pantomimes, Royal Victoria Hall has hosted a wide variety of events including a Fleetwood Mac concert in 1971, various live Radio 2 shows with Don Dubridge and Paul James, and even a speech in October 1978by Enoch Powell.
Demolition
Demolition commenced in May 2017 to be replaced by a modern development of Council Offices and ancillary facilities.
References
External links
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