Dudley Opera House
Dudley Opera House was an Opera house in Dudley, West Midlands, England from 1899 to 1936 when it was destroyed by fire. It stood on the site that was later occupied by Dudley Hippodrome.
 Dudley Opera House | |
| Address | Castle Hill, Dudley, West Midlands, England |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 2000 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 4 September 1899 |
| Demolished | 1 November 1936 |
| Years active | 1899 - 1936 |
| Architect | A. Ramsell |
History
[edit]In 1898, John Maurice Clement purchased land on Castle Hill from William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley with plans to build an Opera house. Local building company J. H. Whittaker & Company constructed the building, with the foundation stone being laid by the Mayor of Dudley on 27 June 1898.[1] The building was constructed in an Italian Renaissance style with red-brick and terra-cotta dressings. The stage was 72ft wide which could allow elaborate scenic effects for audiences. The Opera house, which had a capacity of 2000, opened on 4 September 1899. Mikado by the D’Oyly Carte Repertory Company was the first act to perform at the newly opened Opera house with William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley and his wife Rachel Ward, Countess of Dudley becoming patrons.[2]
Charlie Chaplin performed at the Opera house in 1906 as did a young Stan Laurel in 1908.
The Dudley Opera House Company Limited purchased the Opera house and renamed it the Dudley Opera House and Hippodrome. During this time it put on Operas, plays, dramas and music hall acts.[1] The Opera house was advertised as the Opera House Picture Palace in 1910 when it began to show afternoon films to audiences.[2] Benjamin Kennedy and his son Robert acquired the Opera house in 1920. As there was now little interest for Opera, the new owners relied on popular variety acts of the time to keep audiences attending. The Opera house also started to screen sound films for audiences around 1930.[3]
Fire and Demolition
[edit]On 31 October 1936 a large fire broke out at the Opera house which caused severe damage to the building and resulted in around £50,000 worth of damage to the interior and building structure.[1] The building structure was assessed after the fire and as it was deemed unsafe and at risk of collapse, the decision was made to demolish the Opera house on public safety grounds on 1 November 1936.[1] Ten months after the demolition, work began to build Dudley Hippodrome on the site of the former Opera house.
References
[edit] | This article has not been added to any content categories. Please help out by adding categories to it so that it can be listed with similar articles. (December 2024) |
- ^ a b c d "Dudley in the past". www.historywebsite.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ a b "Theatres in Dudley, West Midlands". www.arthurlloyd.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ "Opera House in Dudley, GB - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved 2024-12-24.