Issue 4 - December 2013
Blackpool Heritage News is created by Blackpool Heritage Champions to celebrate and promote Blackpool's heritage. Blackpool Heritage News is about you, your past and your present. We want your stories and your pictures. Love heritage and discover Blackpool.
New Chief Executive Officer for the
‘Prettiest Little Theatre in the Land’ Chatting with Ruth Eastwood about the Grand's future, its mission statement and her enthusiasm for the Pantomime season. In the heart of Blackpool stands a Grade II llisted building, The Grand Theatre designed by prolific theatre architect, Frank Matcham, and opened in 1894. The project was conceived and financed by local Theatre Manager, Thomas Sergenson who had been using the site of the Grand for several years as a circus area. Matcham’s brief was to build Sergenson the ‘The prettiest little theatre in the land’. Sergenson’s successful directorship of the theatre ended in 1909 when he sold the operation to the Blackpool Tower Company for a considerable profit. Over the years the Grand’s fortunes declined and it was saved from demolition in the 1970’s when the newly formed ‘Friends of the Grand’, with the help from Blackpool Council, purchased the theatre from its then owners , EMI, on the 1st October 1980. It reopened on the 23rd March 1981 with the Merchant of Venice starring Timothy West, Prunella Scales and Prince Charles was in attendance. Ruth’s excellent credentials are interesting and varied. She has worked at the National Theatre in London, The Community Theatre, SPLASH, stints at Darlington’s Civic Theatre, Bradford Alhambra and The Hull Truck Theatre Company. She was CEO of Poole’s Art Trust, the Lighthouse, which is the largest art centre outside of London and home of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. She comes to Blackpool from Leicester where she was CEO of Curve, the £62 million state of the art theatre,
designed by architect Rafael Vinoly and engineered by Adams Kara Taylor which replaced the Haymarket. Ruth has experience working freelance and is also Vice-chairman of the Theatres’ Trust, a statutary body for the protection of theatres in Britain, which is a heritage preservation charity. The Board of the Grand and Ruth’s ultimate long term goal is to try and increase the funding base for the organisation and try and retain the status the Grand which it earned last year ‘National Portfolio’ holder from the Arts Council. It is also their goal to broaden the base of support for the theatre as the Grand is an expensive building to maintain and to continue trading into the future in the ever changing market of Blackpool’s entertainment sector. In the short term, Ruth told me that in taking up a new post at a venue like the Grand, it would be normal practice to find a programme to set for the following year. So Ruth and the organisation will have to look at decisions they have to take in order to make the right entertainment choices to take the theatre through the ‘summer season’ which has changed in style and taste over the years. Then looking further into the autumn season they need to build on the Grand’s ‘own brand’. With this in mind, Ruth told me that visitors are part of the building’s economy but local people figure largely in the venues future as fundamentally they are the ones who will support the Grand all year round. Being first and foremost ‘local’ venue, I asked Ruth how people of all ages could get involved in the Grand’s heritage and programmes. She enthusiastically told me there were many ways to get involved and indeed many people already do. She informed me that 38 out of the 42 schools in the area had performed in the venue in the past year. Ruth also told me about the Youth Dance Company, a group of young boys and girls, mainly teenagers, who meet at the Grand and how they recently performed on the main stage before the professional theatre company performed. There is also a volunteer work force, made up of people of all ages, who find it a good way to get a 'foot in the door' if they are interested in the theatre.
Ruth Eastwood
The Grand is working constantly with not just schools but the Local Authority which includes children, young people and families where the theatre often goes out to them in the form of workshops and classes which in turn brings them to the Theatre to enjoy its programmes.
...Continued from Front Cover Ruth agrees that participating in theatrical activities can boost confidence and help with articulation. Many young people studying O and A levels use the theatre to be junior critics and people can view their comments on twitter and on the Grand’s website, in the form of vox pops etc. The local Blackpool & Fylde College also uses the stage for its showcase of diploma and degree students. I asked Ruth about the Panto season, a time for the young and not so young to enjoy a show together and she stated that she is a 'complete sucker' for this wonderful genre. She thinks that the type of Panto The Grand presents, which is traditionally with a regular cast of people of locals whom we know and love, is the best style. It is the one performance where the audience is part of the acting as there is dialogue and participation between audience and the actors and that is why she loves it! Ruth is now looking forward to some great theatre experiences coming to the Grand over the next year including ‘Eternal Love’, a
play by Harold Breton performed by The Shakespeare's Globe Company, a big production with 18 actors plus musicians who will fill the stage. It explores the political and philosophical situation of an era and is a very witty and funny play. Many people will remember the film ‘Brassed Off’ which has now been adapted for the stage and is coming soon. The Grand now has a relationship with the Royal Shakespeare Company and they will be bringing a shortened version of the ‘Taming of the Shrew’ where the company will be working with local schools. For some pupils this will be their first experience of Shakespeare and is a great way to learn. Ruth's enthusiasm and love of theatre was evident and she is keen to focus on the venue being a well-loved and well used venue. We all congratulate her on her new post and look forward to many successful and happy years for her and the Grand Theatre. Abigail George.
UNCLE TOM’S CABIN UNCLE TOM’S CABIN WAS A PIONEER OF Blackpool’s entertainment industry and became the resort’s first most popular landmark for over half a century. The original UTC evolved in 1851 when Margaret Parkinson set up a refreshment stall selling gingerbread and ginger beer to visitors walking along the cliff tops on Blackpool’s northern shores. In the late 1850’s, a cabin was added and taken over by Robert Taylor and William Parker who continued the thriving business. Over the years, they introduced other attractions including a dancing pavilion, a concert hall (with music hall artistes and burlesque turns), a photographic studio and camera obscura. Following the introduction of liquor, spirits and an alcohol licence, visitors flocked to Uncle Tom’s Cabin in their thousands. The name ‘Uncle Tom’ refers to Margaret’s brother-in-law, farmer Thomas Parkinson, who owned the land and whom her son referred to as ‘uncle Tom’. To further promote the cabin, three wooden figures were erected representing the characters Uncle Tom, Little Eva and Topsy from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’, published in 1852.
Sadly, in 1907, Uncle Tom’s Cabin was taken down after part of the building collapsed into the sea because of erosion of the cliffs. The name lives on today, the licence being transferred to the present Uncle Tom's Cabin built close by. Barry Shaw Local Historian Civic Trust
Uncle Tom’s Cabin as we know it today. Picture by Kevin Taylor
TERRIBLE MURDER DURING THE FESTIVE SEASON! 110 years ago, a dreadful crime was perpetrated in the centre of Blackpool. A young man was driven to murder by a demanding wife and an over-bearing mother-in law; or more particularly, a weak man in dire circumstances. What purported to be a simple Maintenance Hearing at Blackpool Police Court on Monday 23 November 1903, laid the foundations of a heinous crime. Mary Hannah, Starr’s 27 year old wife of 9 months was seeking Maintenance for herself and her child. The Blackpool Police Court heard that Starr who was often unemployed, failed to provide for his family, frequently drinking and gambling his wages away. She and the child were currently living with her mother and father, Mr & Mrs Blagg, in Lord Street, along with a younger sister. News reports of the time record a tumultuous relationship with frequent and noisy arguments between the two at the Lord Street address. Starr had moved out at one stage to live with a relative in Hardman Street Blackpool. Mary had joined him there following reconciliation and the birth of the child, but only stayed a short time, before returning to her mother’s house, since Starr had failed to properly provide for her. In his defence, and admitting he was occasionally drunk, he argued with confidence, that she had left him several times to live with her mother against his will and that if she persisted he would seek custody of their child. The Bench granted Mary a Separation Order, custody of the child and 8 shillings a week in Maintenance. On the following day, Tuesday, in what the local press regarded as ‘A Tragic Sequel’ to the hearing, Starr had been drinking, had entered the house by an
open back door and had fatally stabbed Mary in the kitchen, several times, using two knives to do so. The bent and broken knives were found at the scene. Mary had over twenty wounds. On hearing the screams of h e r d a u g h t e r, M r s B l a g g h a d confronted Starr and pleaded for her daughter’s life; to no avail. She too was cut and bleeding. She ran screaming into the street for assistance and Starr fled. The press reports of the incident and the injuries she suffered are very graphic in their description. A local doctor James Johnson pronounced Mary dead at the scene. Starr is reported to have run to a nearby Duke of York Hotel, where he stayed briefly before leaving in the direction of Talbot Square. He was arrested there, in a bloody and drunken state, a short time later by two Police Officers, who took him directly to the Police Station in Lower King Street. Because of his being ‘greatly under the influence of drink’ and incoherent, he was placed in a cell, under guard until the next day, when he would appear before the Magistrates. On Friday the 27th he was remanded to appear at the Assize Court in Liverpool, where within 3 minutes, the Jury returned a ‘Guilty’ verdict without even leaving the Courtroom. In spite of a plea of ‘Insanity’, Starr was sentenced to death by hanging. On 29 Dec 1903 William Billington, the Executioner accepted his second ‘Senior’ appointment to hang Starr at Walton Jail, in Liverpool. He was assisted by the more experienced Harry Pierpoint (Incidentally, Albert, Harry’s son, also an Executioner, spent his holidays in Blackpool). Starr was reported to have been ‘Penitent and Stoical’ at his execution. Previously, he
had written of his regrets, life and career, published widely as ‘an epistle to young men. This was actually Starrs second murder trial. He had been acquitted in 1896 of the murder of Eleanor Coulthard, a Domestic Servant in March 1896. She was found drowned in the River Ribble at Clitheroe. Henry Bertram Starr at 31, had been employed in a range of jobs: Publishers Traveller, Insurance Agent, Photographic Canvasser, and latterly a Slater’s Labourer, clearly not able to stay in regular employment. He was born in Marske-by-the-Sea, Birkenhead and had arrived in Blackpool via Newcastle upon Tyne, Maryport, Workington, and Clitheroe. In 1891, Census records show he was living and working in Cockermouth and had lived there as a child. His f a t h e r, a g r o c e r, h a d d i e d i n Birkenhead, when he was a child. Mary, born in Oldham, was married to Starr at Christ Church, Blackpool on Blackpool, 9 March 1903. She is recorded as a Domestic Servant, before the move to Blackpool. Her father, Allen worked as a ‘Machine Fitter’ in Oldham, while her mother kept house at ‘Ardwick House’. Her Grave is in Layton Cemetery.
Did you know...? On April 21st 1869, Charles Dickens visited Blackpool and stayed at the Beach Hotel, which stood where the Tower Vaults and Cafe now stand.
THE ILLUMINATIONS COLLECTION Blackpool is famous for its Illuminations, a fantastic light display which yearly draws crowds from all around the country. Since the mid 1920s Blackpool Council has amassed a vast collection of related artwork which is to be digitally archived for the future. So Blackpool Council, together with Heritage Lottery Funding, has launched the Illuminations Collection Project and I have the fantastic job of working with it over a twelve month period. The aim is to photograph and catalogue everything. This will involve some minor cleaning and placing the items into protective covers to preserve them for the future. All relevant information about the pieces is to be entered on a database. It is hoped that in the future the public will have access to this. There are over twenty thousand pieces so it is no mean feat!
THE HISTORY In 1879 Blackpool experimented with electric lighting shows on the Promenade and this proved to be a popular move. However, the start of the modern Illuminations came with the visit of Princess Louise in May 1912 when the go-ahead was given for an extravagant show of lights along the Promenade decorating masts and arches, tram shelters and, for the first time, the trams too. Bigger and brighter than any other seaside resort! It was a huge success and the Autumn Illuminations began later that year and continued until war intervened. The Lights did return after the First World War in 1925 with further brilliant displays, growing in size and developing. In the late 1920’s the first tableaux were introduced on the north shore cliffs and illuminated pylons became a popular feature along the Promenade. By the 1930’s the Illuminations had become a huge attraction with thousands of visitors swarming to the resort. The lights were great for giving the town fantastic publicity. Unfortunately, the Lights came to an abrupt end with the onset of war in 1939. The Lights returned after the War in 1949 reusing pre-War features. As restrictions on finances eased, Blackpool Council set about establishing “The Illuminations” in the 1950s as the biggest and best lighting display in the country. The Lights went from strength to strength. Famous stars were used for the Switch-on ceremony, a tradition that has continued to the present day and 2013 saw the Switch on spread over an entire weekend.
THE ARTISTS When the Council set about building these brilliant lighting displays designers would work on the creative side, coming up with ideas of how they would look. Initially this would be contracted out, but from 1950 in-house designers were employed. In total there have been seven, the current one being Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen. After the Second World War themes were introduced into Illuminations road sections, and the designers had the task of creating artwork around chosen themes. The process was quite long and detailed and often several sketches preceded the final artwork. So our collection consists of thousands of drawings, artwork, slides and photographs. We even have street lighting plans that show in great detail where all the lights and themes were positioned in particular years. It’s a wonderful and fascinating heritage for the people of Blackpool.
THE BLOG As another way of informing the public of what we are doing we decided to set up a blog. It has been a really enjoyable task and a great way of connecting with people. It was started in July 2013 and has drawn quite a lot of interest already. Our aim is to let everyone see the artwork and so I have chosen a blogging format that showcases pictures more than the written word. Of course I try to include some interesting facts where possible and also make it topical when I can. I hope readers will take a look and “follow” the blog. There are also opportunities for you to leave feedback. The blog address is - www.illuminationscollection.wordpress.com
LEAFY LYTHAM HALL After a very interesting tour of Lytham Heritage Centre and a talk on the history of its origins by Alan F A Ashton M.B.E. we were treated to a tour of the grand old lady of Lytham, Lytham Hall. It is a ‘grade 1’ listed 18th century manor house surrounded by undulating mature parkland with a sweeping driveway to show off its elegance and prestige. The Hall was built for Thomas Clifton, by John Carr of York, between 1752-1764 on the site of an earlier manor house and Priory owned by the Benedictine monks from Durham. The land at Lytham was sold by the Crown to Sir Thomas Holcroft and eventually in 1606 was bought by Cuthbert Clifton of Westby, a staunch Catholic. Cuthbert was knighted in 1617 and in 1625 built a new manor house on or near to the original priory site. Part of this manor house remains incorporated into the later Georgian building. Entering the ornate gates and travelling through the autumnal sunshine we could see by the falling leaves the reason Lytham has the nickname of ‘Leafy Lytham.’ The atmosphere as we entered the hall was extra special as The Friends of Lytham Hall had opened up the hall especially for us Heritage Champions. Our tour guide was archivist, Sue Swarbrick, from the Lytham Heritage Centre who told us the interesting tales of the Clifton family who once lived in the splendour of the building. We stood mesmerised in the main hall which shows the fine craftsmanship of Carr at his best. It is a room oozing with imposing staircases that reach up with Corinthian columns that boldly showcase how ambitious the Clifton family were in impressing their guests. Jupiter surrounded by gathering clouds and lightening is brought to light by the Venetian window. Rococo plaster dominates the walls alongside the furniture by Gillow of Lancaster. Portraits of the past hang looking into the future from their elaborate gilded frames of a family that were great land owners from the 1500’s. One of our favourite rooms was the 17th century long gallery which could easily pass for an area to promenade in, like the Winter Gardens Horseshoe where inclement weather was catered for and where us ladies in the party could imagine wearing the luscious ball gowns of the day. Room after room held secrets of the family and hidden treasures like the exposed plasterwork in the original Jacobean building that still remains
intact on site. It was so atmospheric and will benefit from additional funding for the plan for the courtyard which is one of the oldest and prettiest parts of the original hall. Highlight as ever a lovely afternoon tea served in the cafe looking out onto the green expanse of wooded areas. A display with pictures takes the visitor back to the bustling lives of the Clifton family and gives a great insight to the era. One regret as we left was the lack of time which didn’t allow us to explore the grounds containing the Ice house, Lily pond, Dovecote, the original privy and the Mount, so perhaps a future visit will enable us to explore more deeply. What was encouraging as we drove out of the driveway was the activity as the volunteers of the ‘Friends of Lytham Hall’ who were hard at work clearing in the woodland and the walkers freely enjoying a leisurely stroll in the open land and calling for a warming brew in the cafe. Heritage seems to be firmly on the mind of Lytham Hall in bringing the their fund raising campaign to fruition. Shirley Matthews B.A. (hons) Pictures by Abigail George
Exciting Times Ahead! Blackpool's glitzy past to be explored and will soon appear in a Pop-up museum near you! The Volunteer Centre has been awarded funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Blackpool Council for a new project 'Blackpool's Treasure Trove'. This is an exciting project that will enable local people to explore what makes Blackpool so utterly unique it's entertainment; the performers, dancers, singers all those who worked behind the scenes, those who went to see the shows. We want to know 'what did you do on a Saturday Night?' 'Where was the place to be?' Seven groups will be formed, three groups of adults and four groups of young people to research the entertainment industry from the 1950's to the present day and work with Blackpool's fabulous historic collections. With the aid of professional artists each group will develop their own ideas and create their own Pop up museum to showcase them. This is a great opportunity to share your experiences, tell your story and create a lasting legacy. If you would like to get involved, meet new people and develop new skills and knowledge then please contact Project Manager Kelly Walker on 01253 301004 or email kelly.glossop@blackpoolvolunteers.org.uk Alternatively why not attend one of our events on Monday 20th January or Monday 3rd February at 10.30am – 12.30pm in the Brunswick Room at Central Library. If you have any old photos, souvenir's, programs etc that you want to share please bring them along.
A New Museum for Blackpool! A major Heritage Grant application has been submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund to create a Museum for Blackpool. It will tell the extraordinary story of the world's first working-class seaside resort, celebrating its contribution to British and Western popular culture. As well as displaying our nationallysignificant collections in an imaginative, exciting way, there will be quality space for temporary exhibitions, co-created with communities, the V&A and others. It will be based in the Pavilion Theatre within the Grade 2* Winter Gardens. The application will be considered by the Heritage Lottery Trustees in London next April. There is no guarantee of success however, and it quite often takes more than one go to get it right. It is a really fantastic project and this is only the beginning of what could be quite a long road, but it will undoubtedly be a very exciting journey. Watch this space to keep in touch with progress.
If you would like to contribute to this newsletter or comment on the contents please contact 01253 301004 or email blackpoolheritagenews@volunteercentrebwf.org.uk Mission: To provide support and inspiration for volunteers, organisations and groups to develop volunteering in the community. The Volunteer Centre Blackpool, Wyre & Fylde is a Registered Charity, No: 1125184 and a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England & Wales No: 5756723 Copyright 2013 Š
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