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Royal visit by Princess Beatrice
315 A photograph showing Princess Beatrice at Aberdeen Music Hall to open a bazaar in aid of the Sick Children's Hospital.
The bazaar took place in the Music Hall on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th October 1898. Princess Beatrice, then known as Princess Henry of Battenberg, opened the bazaar the day before on Friday 28th October.
The opening ceremony was covered in the Aberdeen Journal of 29th October 1898, page 5. The article states that Beatrice arrived by train at the Joint Station before travelling to the Music Hall from Guild Street by the horse drawn carriage that we can see here.
The route travelled and much of the surrounding area were specially decorated for the occasion. The various businesses and buildings along the route decorated their own premises and many of these decorations are described in the newspaper report.
The city gardeners Peter Harper of Duthie Park and Robert Walker of Victoria Park were tasked with creating floral displays. Harper decorated the interior of the Joint Station and the Music Hall, while Walker decorated the route between the two.
The special royal train arrived at the joint station a couple of minutes before its scheduled time of 12:15pm. Beatrice was greeted at the station by a large civic and military reception and crowds of onlookers.
The newspaper report indicates that travelling in the horse drawn carriage with Beatrice was Miss Minnie Cochrane and Lord William Cecil, both were royal courtiers. The man sat in the carriage is therefore most likely the latter.
Following the opening ceremony, Beatrice was entertained at a luncheon at the Palace Hotel by the directors of the Royal Aberdeen Hospital for Sick Children.
Beatrice and her party returned to Balmoral on a train leaving the station at 2:45pm.
The newspaper also tells us that Messrs. Walker & Company, cinematographers, Bridge Street, filmed the procession as it passed along the railway bridge on Guild Street. Assistant photographers with still cameras captured the rest of proceedings. This photograph was likely taken by one of these assistants.
A sign for Walker & Company can be seen hanging above the Music Hall entrance. This dates the image as belonging to this later royal visit by Princess Beatrice. She previously visited the city on 27th September 1883 to open an earlier bazaar for the Children's Hospital and to open the newly created Duthie Park Music Hall and Union Street, Aberdeen
2699 A sepia Adelphi Series postcard showing the Music Hall and a busy Union Street. An early automobile can be seen on the left of the images and in the centre are trams numbers 63 and 19, going to Bridge of Don and Mannofield respectively. Union Street
2935 A postcard looking west down Union Street. The Music Hall and a Y.M.C.A. building is visible on the right. Walford Bodie
2996 In the late-Victorian and Edwardian periods, at the height of music hall variety, Dr Walford Bodie M.D. was one of the most famous and highly paid entertainers in Britain.
He remains an enigmatic and charismatic figure in the history of the North East. Born Samuel Murphy Bodie at 33 George Street, Aberdeen on 11 June 1869, he was the son of a journeyman baker called William Bodie and his wife Margaret and received his education at Robert Gordon's College.
He went on to become a leading showman, hypnotist, ventriloquist, controversial 'bloodless surgeon' and was billed variously as The Electric Wizard, The Modern Miracle Worker of the North, and The Most Remarkable Man on the Earth.
At Aberdeen City Libraries we hold a family photograph album that offers an insight into the life and times of Bodie and his amazing family.
The inscription on this image reads "To Dear Nan with Fondest Love Sam". The Music Hall and Union Street, Aberdeen, Looking East
3158 An Adelphi Series postcard showing the Music Hall on Union Street, looking east, towards Castlegate.
The postcard was lent to Aberdeen City Libraries so that we could create a digital copy for public use. Aberdeen Theatres: The Music Hall and Union Street
3372 The Music Hall opened in 1822 as Aberdeen's Assembly Rooms and was designed by Archibald Simpson; the building was originally intended as a place for the elite to socialise.
In 1858, the Aberdeen Music Hall Company bought the building and a large concert hall was added, reopening as the Aberdeen Music Hall in September 1859. The building was refurbished in the mid 1980's, spending more than £2.5 million, and reopening in 1986.
The Music Hall has been run by Aberdeen Performing Arts since 2004 and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2009.
The latest renovations took place between 2016 and 2018 and the Music hall has been a vibrant part of Aberdeen since then, welcoming artists and entertainers. Aberdeen Theatres: On stage at the Music Hall
3374 A large choir and orchestra on stage in the Music Hall. Towards the rear of the image can be seen the pipes of the venue's organ. The group and the occasion are unknown. Aberdeen Theatres: Tuberculosis exhibition
3375 Throughout its history the Music Hall in Aberdeen has been used for all manner purposes beyond the performing arts and film screenings.
In March 1912 an exhibition on the infectious disease tuberculosis was held in the Music Hall on Union Street. This striking poster, with the headline "War on consumption", advertised the six-day event and the accompanying series of lectures.
The exhibition was organised by the Town Council of Aberdeen and the National Association for the Prevention of Consumption. The majority of the exhibition was brought to the city by the latter party with local additions from the Aberdeen Public Health Department, the pathological and public health laboratories of the University of Aberdeen and the Aberdeen Mothers' and Babies' Club.
The exhibition arrived in Aberdeen on the 16 March from Dundee where it had been visited by 30,000 people. It had also toured Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Hull.
At the close of the "six day crusade against tuberculosis", Lord Provost Maitland described the exhibition and lecture series as "Magnificent" and local paper The Aberdeen Journal stated that the success of the event, "judged by popularity, is beyond all doubt." In total 39,960 attended over the six days, placing Aberdeen behind only Hull which was open for an extra day.
Approximately 20,000 health pamphlets were disseminated around the city, including 15,000 catalogues freely distributed by the Public Health Committee. A copy of this catalogue, which includes an instructive article from Aberdeen's Medical Officer of Health, Matthew Hay, is kept in the collection of Aberdeen Local Studies. Aberdeen Theatres: Wings for Victory
3376 Another example of the Music Hall's involvement in all manner of activities. It's central location on Union Street has historically made it a vital venue in the civic life of Aberdeen.
In this photograph the Music Hall is decorated for Wings for Victory Week in May 1943. This was a nationwide fundraising campaign for the Royal Air Force.
The image shows crowds on Union Street as soldiers parade past a box of dignitaries located on the Music Hall stairs. Aberdeen Theatres: Thanksgiving Week
3377 A photograph showing the Music Hall decorated for Thanksgiving Week.
This was a week of fundraising held in October 1945, after the end of World War II, under the National Savings Movement. The city's target was £3,000,000 and the final amount raised was £3,690,668.
One highlight of Thanksgiving Week was a Spitfire fighter plane visiting Hazlehead Park. Aberdeen Theatres: Libraries' book sale
3378 This photograph shows the queue for the first ever Public Library book sale held in the Ballroom of the Music Hall on Saturday 24 February 1979, when well over a thousand people swarmed through the doors to grab a bargain. The Press and Journal covered the event with the headline: "Bonanza Day for Bookworms; bargain hunters pack the Music Hall".
Books were divided into three categories: Children's, Adult Fiction and Non-Fiction (including reference books) and prices were kept low at 20p for fiction books and non-fiction titles slightly more at 50p.
Best sellers included children's books purchased by play groups, out of date encyclopaedias and Whittaker's Almanacs, and bound volumes of National Geographic Magazine. By the end of the day, the event was deemed an overwhelming success, selling over 13,000 books and raising more than £3,645 for the purchase of new stock. Aberdeen Theatres: Tickets for the Scottish National Orchestra
3379 A ticket for the performance of the Scottish National Orchestra at Aberdeen's Music Hall on Tuesday 9th January 1979. Aberdeen Theatres: Aberdeen Arts Centre
3386 In 1960 the education committee of Aberdeen Town Council proposed the conversion of the empty North and Trinity Parish Church into an adult education and civic arts centre. The plan was given final approval in February 1961, much to the delight of Aberdeen's art enthusiasts.
The Evening Express detailed the need for such a venue at the time by describing the difficulties faced by the William Gavin Players, a local drama group, in staging a play earlier that week in the ballroom of the Music Hall. They had to overcome the roar of a nearby wrestling audience, the incessant ringing of an unanswered telephone, a cramped stage and poor acoustics.
A temporary restriction on capital expenditure and a particularly severe winter caused delays for the conversion. Work began in late 1961 and was concluded by the autumn of 1963. The work cost around £33,000 and saw the reconstruction of the interior and a thorough re-vamp for the building's exterior. At one point the new centre was going to be called Longacre, but this idea was scrapped in favour of Aberdeen Arts Centre.
The completed venue was opened on 18th October 1963 by Sir Herbert Read (1893-1968), an art critic, poet and anarchist philosopher. In his speech Read criticised the main political parties of the day for neglecting the development of the arts and the human imagination in favour of a blind drive for scientific and technological efficiency.
In addition to the 385-seat auditorium, the venue had an exhibition space, a lounge, and a tea bar. The Arts Centre has remained the focal point for local arts groups and arts education to this day. It has also served as a meeting place and provided a useful stage for theatrical productions of all types.
In 1998, facing the need to cut £17.5 million from their budget, Aberdeen City Council withdrew their funding from the Arts Centre. This left the future of the venue in danger. A popular campaign to avoid its closure was led by Annie Inglis MBE (1922-2010), Aberdeen's first lady of theatre.
This led to the Aberdeen Arts Centre Association taking over the venue on a voluntary basis and the eventual formation of the Castlegate Arts Limited, a company with charitable status who continue to run the venue today.
Over the years the Arts Centre has played host to many noted local theatre groups like the Attic Theatre Co., The Revue Group, the aforementioned William Gavin Players, Phoenix Theatre, the Gilbert & Sullivan Society, Aberdeen Opera Company, Confederate Theatre, Dragongate Theatre, and no doubt many more. It remains a much-loved venue for performers and audiences of all ages. Aberdeen Theatres: The Palace Theatre building
3387 The former Palace Theatre as seen on 14th July 2018 from outside the Royal Hotel on Bath Street. The building was designed by John Rust and opened in 1898. It was on the site of an earlier music hall, the People's Palace, which had burned down two years before. The building has seen much development and varied use over the years.
It showed variety and "legitimate" theatre at different points during the earlier 20th century. It was rebuilt and opened as a cinema in 1929 and was substantially extended in 1931.
The cinema closed down in 1959 and it was converted into a dance hall and later a nightclub. Aberdeen Theatres: Walford Bodie
3392 A profile photographic portrait of Aberdeen born magician and entertainer, Walford Bodie (1869-1939).
In the late-Victorian and Edwardian periods, at the height of music hall variety, Dr Walford Bodie M.D. was one of the most famous and highly paid entertainers in Britain.
He remains an enigmatic and charismatic figure in the history of the North East. Born Samuel Murphy Bodie at 33 George Street on 11th June 1869, he was the son of a journeyman baker called William Bodie and his wife Margaret and received his education at Robert Gordon's College.
He went on to become a leading showman, hypnotist, ventriloquist, controversial 'bloodless surgeon' and was billed variously as The Electric Wizard, The Modern Miracle Worker of the North, and The Most Remarkable Man on the Earth.
The medical profession questioned his qualifications and right to the title of doctor. He would respond that his qualifications were from the United States, a country at the forefront of medical science, though he once conceded that the M.D. following his name in fact stood for "Merry Devil".
This photograph comes from a family photograph album, originally owned by Annie "Nan" Henry, held by Aberdeen City Libraries. Aberdeen Theatres: Dufton Scott
3393 Robert Dufton Scott (1880-1944), born in Forgue, was another prominent North-East entertainer.
Much can be learnt of his life from the Press & Journal obituary that followed his death at his home at 3 Kirkland Terrace, Inverurie on 19th September 1944. He was sixty four years of age.
He is described as a well known elocutionist and exponent of Aberdeenshire doric. He spent his youth in Huntly and later moved to Aberdeen. The P&J suggest his "vivid delineation of Aberdeen life and character" quickly placed him at the forefront of Scottish entertainers.
He toured with Walker & Company, the local cinema pioneers, and appeared on the same bill as artists such as James Scott Skinner, Durward Lely, Mackenzie Murdoch and Jessie McLachlan.
He was associated with David Thomson at the Beach Pavilion and also appeared in concerts at the Music Hall.
Additionally, Scott found success publishing books of Scottish stories and broadcasting on the radio. In the 1910s he had moved to Inverurie and had set up business as a bookseller.
He was survived by his wife and three sons.
Aberdeen Theatres: Harry Gordon
3395 A photographic portrait of the entertainer Harry Gordon (1893-1957) by Frank Arthur Swaine. Gordon was born in Aberdeen as Alexander Gordon and rose to prominence on the stages of the North-East.
He was known as "The Laird of Inversnecky" and was particularly associated with Aberdeen's Beach Pavilion. Aberdeen Local Studies have a large collection of programmes for his shows. He also played in other venues around Aberdeen like the His Majesty's Theatre and the Music Hall.
Gordon was a pioneer of resident shows in variety theatres in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee. He performed extensively in pantomimes, particuarly in Glasgow. He also worked with the BBC in the 1920s and 1930s and produced many records.
His first performance in London was in 1929 at the Palladium and he toured in American in 1948 and 1949.
For more information on his life and career see Harry Gordon: The Laird of Inversnecky by Iain Watson (1993), available at Aberdeen City Libraries. Aberdeen Cinemas: Palace
3429 An Aberdeen Journals Archive photograph showing the Palace cinema in 1959. This was just before the venue on Bridge Place was converted into a dance hall.
The original building was designed by John Rust and opened in 1898. It was on the site of an earlier music hall, the People's Palace, which had burned down two years before.
The theatre had shown films as part of variety performances from 1911. It was purchased by the Poole Company, a nationwide wide circuit of cinemas, and reopened as a picture house on 8th April 1929. In 1936 Poole's cinemas, including the Palace, were acquired by County Cinemas, who were later taken over by the Odeon arm of the Rank Organisation.
The Palace closed as a cinema on 14th November 1959. Its final screening was My Uncle Frank with Jacques Tati. The new Palace Ballroom launched on 24th March 1960 as Aberdeen's largest dance hall.
In 1976 the building was converted into a nightclub originally called Fusion. It has since been known as Ritzy's, The Palace, The Institute (2003), Liquid (2012) and ATIK (2018).
[Information primarily sourced from Silver Screen in the Silver City (1988) by Michael Thomson]
Image © Aberdeen Journals Ltd. The Music Hall: 1
4158 A photograph by Roddy Millar, taken 09/04/2016, from a series dating from 09/04/2016 to 08/09/2021 showing Aberdeen's Music Hall before and after redevelopment. The Music Hall: 2
4159 A photograph by Roddy Millar, taken 09/04/2016, from a series dating from 09/04/2016 to 08/09/2021 showing Aberdeen's Music Hall before and after redevelopment. The Music Hall: 3
4160 A photograph by Roddy Millar, taken 09/04/2016, from a series dating from 09/04/2016 to 08/09/2021 showing Aberdeen's Music Hall before and after redevelopment. The Music Hall: 4
4161 A photograph by Roddy Millar, taken 10/04/2016, from a series dating from 09/04/2016 to 08/09/2021 showing Aberdeen's Music Hall before and after redevelopment. The Music Hall: 5
4162 A photograph by Roddy Millar, taken 10/04/2016, from a series dating from 09/04/2016 to 08/09/2021 showing Aberdeen's Music Hall before and after redevelopment. The Music Hall: 6
4163 A photograph by Roddy Millar, taken 10/04/2016, from a series dating from 09/04/2016 to 08/09/2021 showing Aberdeen's Music Hall before and after redevelopment. |