Chatham Theatres

[merc]

On May 18th,1934 Barnards Palace of Varieties in the High street,Chatham was destroyed by fire.
Barely an hour after the final curtain had fallen on the Friday evening flames were seen pouring from the roof by local residents.
Chatham,Rochester and Gillingham fire brigades joined forces to battle the blaze that lit up the whole of the Medway towns and could be seen across the Thames.
Several thousand watched the inferno and then saw the roof collapse.
The building was later demolished.

The Palace of Varieties had a fascinating history.
When it was taken over by Dan Barnard more than a century ago,it consisted of a fair-sized public house,the Granby Arms and a skittle alley,but when the Brewers went into liquidation o:) Mr Barnard bought it and transformed the skittle alley into a modest music hall,the first in the world.
It quickly became a favourite place of entertainment for Chatham inhabitants as well as Soldiers and Sailors.
The music hall had also suffered another fire in 1886 and had to be rebuilt,it was opened as "The New Palace of Varieties"

Strangly enough,Dan Barnard had become an important contributor to the well-being of Chatham and was a founder member of the local fire service.
Mr Barnard died in 1879 and one of his sons,Lou Barnard took over the family business and also opened the Theatre Royal,Chatham which opened in 1899.
That to suffered a fire just 10 months after opening ,the entire stage and much of the auditorium was gutted.
It re-opend in December 1900.

[merc]

[Chatham_Girl85]

Just searched for the palace of varities on the tinternet, and a city ark post come up so i looked it up.
it come up about a synagogue in chatham, what has that got to do with a theatre. then i scolled down and it turns out the Bernard family were a famous jewish family in chatham at the time. i kinda 'borrowed' this from the cityark website that comes up with gems of info :D

The Barnard family – Daniel (Dan) Barnard (1825-1879), Chief Constable of Chatham, creator of Chatham Volunteer Fire Brigade, and the proprietor of the Railway Saloon and Music Hall in Chatham (later Barnard’s Palace of Varieties), who founded a dynasty of entertainment providers around the country. The performers who appeared in the Palace of Varieties included Harry Houdini and young Charlie Chaplin. Daniel’s son Samuel (Sam) Barnard invented the famous twice nightly system of music hall performances –the first one for the soldiers, who had to return to barracks by 8 o’clock, and the later one for the civilians. The Barnard family played a very significant role in cultural life in Medway up to the 1930s. It was this family who built Theatre Royal (opened in 1899) - the shell of which on the corner of High Street and Manor Road remains in its sorry and now sadly terminal state.'

very interesting :D


xxx

'

[merc]

Indeed interesting CG
That's more information about the Barnard family than i've got in any of my books ;D

Such a shame about the Theatre Royal being left like that...

[Chatham_Girl85]

yeah it is rather a shame.

i remember going in there for the free tours they used to do. i was only about 11 at the time but i remember bein fascinated by the old leaf ceiling and tales of 'Humprey' the resident ghost. an actor, who threw himself off the Royal box into the stage area below can't remember why tho.
wonder who humprey was??

[seafordpete]

Was it the Empire more or less opposite the end of Manor Rd? Always had pictures of scantily dressed (by 1950s standard) ladies. Mum always crossed the road before we got to it  :-[

[merc]

I'm not sure of the Empire's location,i've got a few pictures of the outside though.
It had a cupola on top and adjoining Cinema.

[Chatham_Girl85]

the empire theatre and cinema were where the gun shop is now. you also have a nightclub there too,
it is just past Staples and the blue bomb thingy towards Rochester on the right hand side as you are travelling towards Rochester.. if u look at the pic, the front looks the same only older.

xxx

[seafordpete]

Thats it-where's the ladies!  IIRC it was about halfway between Manor Rd and Burtons, on the Burtons side

[numanfan]

The location of the Empire Theatre was along the road from the Gun Shop.

With the aid of my trusty Kelly's Directory, my camera & a 1911 publication called 'Chatham Inns & Signs', I ventured into darkest Chatham     ( and lived to tell the tale).

The Jade Garden Restaurant is No.43 High St


It is the last property standing, & was the West End Post Office but previously it was THE BRITANNIA pub


The next original building, heading towards central Chatham is No.63, The VON ALTON pub (in 1911 it was known as The Alton Ale House)



All the buildings in between have been demolished to make way for Anchorage House, the local tax office.



The Chatham Empire Theatre ( & picture house, next door)were in the space now occupied by Anchorage House.


From the book 'A Century of Change' by Philip MacDougal

[karlostg]

Nice pics Numanfan.

I recognise some of the pictures, dont I know you from somewhere.............?  :D

[numanfan]

Damn!!!  My cover is blown!

Here is Barnards in 1905



Stood in almost the same position, by the side of The Theatre Royal, you can see that the surrounding buildings have remained unchanged.


More people used this end of the High Street in 1905 than these days!

[merc]

Barnard's being demolished after being gutted by fire, 1934