My Great grandfather Lloyd Clarance was the lessee and manager of The Theatre Royal in Stockton for many years. The photograph shows Lloyd with his Grandson, my father.
His letter headed paper is quite interesting as it has the stage dimensions, admission prices and even a bit about the licence obtained from the magistrate regarding the safety of the theatre.
Photograph and details courtesy of Stephanie Lock.
Interesting the mention upon the decorative letterhead about ‘Fire Safety’. This was probably as a result of the shockwave of public interest that went across the UK following the Exeter Theatre Royal fire of 1887( in which over180 patrons died) an incident which I covered in this other posting about Stockton’s Theatre Royal, shown below. I wonder if the externally mounted wooden-ladders that can be seen in the photograph, formed part of that particular local Magistrate’s ‘upgrade’?
http://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2014/01/16/the-theatre-royal-2/
However, it’s interesting to note that despite the featured Magistrates approval, the Theatre Royal eventually did succumb to a ravaging fire on Aug. 26th 1906, after which it became a skating-rink and then later a drill-hall just prior to WWI.
Lloyd Clarance Theatre Royal set me thinking that far from being a life of drudgery the 1800 to mid 1900’s had more going for them than we imagine, numerous concert halls or theatres Cinema’s (1900’s) dance halls.
The Town appeared to be welled served with entertainment venues which would need to be filled or go under, the Pit at 6d and Gallery at 4d would I imagine be full the Dress Circle at 3/- per seat probably the place to be seen, 4d even in my time would buy a pack of fish and chips 6d a packet of Cigarettes for Dad I never smoked.
Dad loved light or comic opera so I would get dragged to the first house of the Hippodrome to hear some top notch men and women singers or duets, John McCormack, Richard Tauber were his favourites though whether they sang at Stockton I do not know, we had them on record and much later he would go to hear Josef Locke when he appeared though I do remember my wife and I seeing Josef at the Globe, he brought the house down and it must have been his last appearance before his lean years.
It makes me realise our Parents and Grandparents had as much love of entertainment as we do and did not mind spending money to see it.
I do remember Chick Henderson the Hartlepool Crooner who made it onto Radio with Dad always saying I told you he was good. These posts roll back the years for me, we lived what is history to most now.
Lloyd Clarance appears to have worked his way up to being the theatre manager. He started off as a performer, before starting to produce local pantomimes. There are several references to his career in the Evening Gazette, here is a review of his pantomine “Goody Two Shoes”, in which he also appeared, taken from the Gazette in March 1880 –
“The hits of Lloyd Clarance were simply irresistible and kept up a perpetual titter of laughter from the rise of the curtain to its fall.”