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THE WINTER GARDENS AND BLACKPOOL TOWER

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The Winter Gardens, together with the Tower and its attendant buildings, established Blackpool as the premier seaside resort in England. It is a vast entertainment complex containing a number of individual elements built round a pre-existing house over a long period between 1875 and 1939. The first part of the complex was built between 1875 and 1878 by Thomas Mitchell of Oldham. This included an outdoor skating rink and the Flora Hall. The Flora Hall was a rectangular hall of 21 bays with a glazed roof. The Pavilion Theatre was built in 1878 as a glass-domed winter garden, giving the complex its name. It was converted to a theatre by Thomas Mitchell in 1889 with the auditorium reconstructed between 1896 and 1897 by Wylson and Long. In 1982, the stalls rake was removed and the theatre converted for multiple use and as a conference hall. The Empress Ballroom was built in 1896 by Magnall and Littlewood of Manchester with decoration by J M Boekbinder of London. It comprises of a huge rectangular hall and was built to answer competition from the Tower complex. The first Opera House was built in 1889 by Frank Matcham but it was rebuilt in 1911 by Magnall and Littlewood. In a third phase of building, this theatre was demolished in 1938 but its white faience facade and foyer still survive. A new theatre was reconstructed in 1939 by Charles MacKeith in a 1930s geometric cine-design. As part of the third phase of construction, from 1928-29 onward, the previous Big Wheel built in 1896 was removed and replaced by the "Olympia" indoor amusement area. This phase also included the construction of the Galleon Bar, Baronial Hall and Spanish Hall in 1931, by J C Derham and lavishly decorated in fibrous plaster by Andrew Mazzei, Art Director of the Gaumont Film Company.

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[SD 30903614] Winter Gardens [NAT] (1)

Entertainment complex, originally 1875-8 by T. Mitchell of Oldham,
with later additions and alterations 1875-1939. Vestibule, Floral
Hall and Ambulatory in plan and elevation suggest the outlines of a
Gothic Cathedral. Pavilion Theatre (1878-1897) by Wylson and Long;
Empress Ballroom (1896) by Mangnall and Littlewood; Galleon Bar,
Baronial Hall and Spanish Hall (all 1931) by J C Derham. Grade II*
collectively. Full accounts in Listed Buildings volume. (2)

Additional reference. (3)

The Winter Gardens, together with the Tower and its attendant buildings, established Blackpool as the premier seaside resort in England. It is a vast entertainment complex containing a number of individual elements built round a pre-existing house over a long period between 1875 and 1939. The first part of the complex was built between 1875-8 by Thomas Mitchell of Oldham. This included an outdoor skating rink and the Flora Hall. The Flora Hall was a rectangular hall of 21 bays with a glazed roof. The Pavilion Theatre was built in 1878 as a glass-domed winter garden, giving the complex its name. It was converted to a theatre by Thomas Mitchell in 1889 with the auditorium reconstructed in 1896-7 by Wylson and Long. In 1982 the stalls rake was removed and the theatre converted for multiple use/conference hall. The Empress Ballroom was built in 1896 by Magnall and Littlewood of Manchester with decoration by J M Boekbinder of London. It comprises of a huge rectangular hall and was built to answer competition from the Tower complex. The first Opera House was built in 1889 by Frank Matcham but it was reconstructed in 1911 by Magnall and Littlewood. This theatre was demolished in 1938 but its white faience facade and foyer still survive. A new theatre was reconstructed in 1939 by Charles MacKeith in a 1930s geometric cine-design. In 1931 the Galleon Bar, Baronial Hall and Spanish Hall were constructed by J C Derham and lavishly decorated in fibrous plaster by Andrew Mazzei, Art Director of the Gaumont Film Company. (1-6)

Information on The Winter Gardens, Blackpool, from Professor Toumlin's 2009 book on the subject and via communication with Professor Toumlin. Her Majesty's Opera House was built on the Church Street access to the Winter Garden and opened on June 10th, 1889. Commissioned by the Winter Gardens Company on the advice of their new manager William Holland, it was designed by prominent theatre architect Frank Matcham. It was the first of his many commissions in Blackpool. Matcham's Opera House was greeted with critical delight with the Blackpool Gazette stating that "for elegance of detail and effectiveness of arrangement it cannot be improved upon". Ironically later management of the Gardens disagreed and from 1902 onwards, John Huddlestone, who replaced William Holland after his death in 1895, planned ways to enhance the building. In 1910 Huddlestone commissioned a new improved Opera House and perhaps due to Matcham's association with other iconic buildings in the resort, selected Mangnall and Littlewood, the firm who designed the Empress ballroom, Indian Lounge and other interiors in the complex. Mangnall and Littlewood's Opera House opened in June 1911, with new exteriors, including much of the Church Street faience facade, behind which was the balconied double-storey Grand Foyer. The capacity of the theatre was increased to 2500, with all of the previous bench seating being replaced. The main headliner in the new improved Opera house was Anna Pavlova in September 1912 and was the first time professional ballet had been seen in Blackpool. Third Opera House The concept for a new super theatre and cinema was first promoted in the mid-1930s and the Tower Company sent their directors to Europe and America in search of ideas for its design. In 1938 the Opera House was demolished and a new 3,000 seat replacement was erected to a design by the architect Charles McKeith and opened on 14 July 1939. The new Opera House possessed the largest stage in Europe. The auditorium was designed with a sweepingly curved proscenium and displayed the streamlined Moderne style at its very best, with the plaster decoration and hidden lighting, reflecting the latest trends in both America and Germany. Elegant foyers and bars completed the ensemble. The Church Street elevation was extended in a matching style to the second Opera House while its Grand Foyer behind the 1911 facade was retained and incorporated within the new design. The third Opera House was constructed according to current trends in theatre design and reflected Odeon influence with the incorporation of a projection box for cinema use. Its technical capabilities were staggering with a stage measuring 100 foot wide, with a depth of 52 feet, a proscenium opening of 45 feet, with 93 cloths, 55 of counterweight gearing, able to be suspended from the flies. The original colour scheme throughout the interior including the 6000 yards of carpet was described as peach and russet in harmony with the general decorations of copper, gold and bronze. The seating is a bright plum shade, also to harmonise with the carpet. The use of art deco inspired detail was continued in the foyer with its dove grey marble contrasting beautifully with the original terrazzo flooring depicting clouds and sunbursts in pastel colours. The third phase of building at the Pleasure Gardens also included the building of the Spanish Hall suite and the indoor amusement area "Olympia". The construction of Olympia entailed dismantling the existing Big Wheel in 1928-29. The Big Wheel had been in operation from 1896 and initially was one of only four such major wheels: the other examples being In London, Paris and Vienna. Professor Toulmin's book is extensively illustrated with modern and contemporary images of the buildings. (7-8)

SOURCE TEXT

(1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 1:10 000 1972

(2) List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest

Blackpool, 20-OCT-1983 Page(s)4-5

( 3) Michael Symes 1993 A glossary of garden history

Shire garden history series 6 Page(s)134

(4) John Earl and Michael Sell 2000 The Theatres Trust Guide to British Theatres 1750-1950 A Gazetteer

Page(s)19-20

(5) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

(6) England's Seaside Resorts

Page(s)147, 149

(77) Toulmin, Vanessa 2009 Winter Gardens, Blackpool: The Most Magnificent Palace of Amusement in the World

(8) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

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