THE smell of the grease paint and the roar of the crowd. There was a time when Southampton had both in abundance.
Names such as the New theatre Royal and Opera House, the Grand, the Palace and the Hippodrome, formerly the Prince of Wales were at one time familiar names to the people of Southampton.
A recent Hampshire Heritage feature about the old Grand Theatre that once stood on the corner of Windsor Terrace, opposite the Civic Centre, before it closed in 1959 reminded local historian, Dave Goddard from Nursling, that amongst his collection of Southampton memorabilia were show programmes from those early days.
Besides a programme for the Grand Theatre dating back to the late 19th century in which women in the audience were told: "It is respectfully intimated that hats and bonnets cannot be worn in the three front rows of the dress circle'' there is also a souvenir of the Royal York Palace of Varieties that later became well known as just the Palace.
The theatre originally opened in 1872 in the days of cobbled streets so that in the wet weather the boots and shoes of audiences soon became muddy so the floor of the music hall was always covered in straw and saw-dust.
Names engraved in theatrical history appeared at the York. Marie Lloyd, George Lashwood, Gus Elen and Walter Munroe all appeared there at one time or another. The Palace, which stood near the former Daily Echo building in Above Bar, started in the early part of the last century and rapidly became one of the liveliest places in town. Prices ranged from three pence (1p) to 15 shillings (75p) for a box.
Like so much of Southampton's history the Palace was lost as the result of enemy bombing during the Second World War.
A few years after the war ended the last remains of the Palace were cleared away and the Daily Echo of the time wrote an obituary for the theatre.
"Brawny fellows with clattering pneumatic drills are breaking up the last traces of the old Palace Theatre and soon yet another Southampton music hall will be but a faded memory of red plush and gilt,'' said the report.
"The Palace was an institution. It was dingy; it had a permanent fug but it had a heart. It was a big, jovial, friendly and fast-beating heart that went out instantly to those of simple tastes who could relish the lusty, brash and down-to-earth fare it had to offer.
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