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Digbeth Music Hall London Museum Music Hall

A

adders0121

Brummie babby
Hello there, I've been trying to research into the building which is between Moor Street carpark and the Royal George. Someone I spoke to said it may have been a music hall.

All I know about it is that Balfour Beatty used it as a site office when constructing the Bullring.

Please see the photo attached as well as this Google maps link to the location.

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=52...52.477136,-1.892282&spn=0.000913,0.00284&z=19

Any help is extremely appreciated.
 
Hi

I've found a couple of references to a music hall in Digbeth in the archived newspapers. In 1864 it was called the London Museum Music Hall, Digbeth and then by 1890 it is called the Canterbury Music Hall, Digbeth.

Suzanne
 
I have a little bit that was in an earlier thread on the forum, which i cannot find now as , when I search I get too many posts come up. I repeat it below:
I was looking through a book today and quote:"and Kempenfelt's ill fated Royal George on the corner of Park Street, where a notorious "blood tub" cinema once stood", seems very intrigueing .
​
The building which is at the back of the Royal George was.‚.. originally The London Museum Music Hall with a reputation as a rough house, it was nicknamed "The Mucker"
In 1912 it was transformed into the Bull Ring Cinema and only showed silent films until it closed in the 30s
The Royal George has only recently closed and both buildings are still intact

The London Museum and Concert Hall"
It opened on the 24th December 1863, proprietor George Biber.In 1890 the place changed it's name to Canterbury Tavern and Music Hall. In 1894 it again changed it's name to Pavilion Tavern and Music Hall. In 1896 it reverted back to it's original name of the London Museum and Concert Hall. In 1896 it was called
Coutt's Theatre. It closed in 1900. In 1912 it opened as the Bull Ring Cinema. In 1897 the Royal George Public House was built in front of it.
Hope that is useful
Mike
 
I seem to remember an Empire Theatre or Cinema on the l/hand side of Digbeth next to the Fisher & Ludlow factory going towards the City pre 1939. Len.
 
As far as I am aware the whole site is being developed into a "Super", very high building, there was an article on Midlands today about 12 months ago about it. I did have the phone number of the developers because I had been given authorization to remove the "Royal George" sign, as my uncle was one of the propieters, but when my husband and I got there to remove it somebody had already done it. I seem to recollect that it is a Scottish company that is redeveloping that area. Sorry I can't be of any more assistance
 
lencops said:
I seem to remember an Empire Theatre or Cinema on the l/hand side of Digbeth next to the Fisher & Ludlow factory going towards the City pre 1939. Len.
Click to expand...

Len,

I think that this was The Palace Theatre, Bordesley

Old Boy
 
I took this picture in Birmingham a few weeks ago (I wont say where it is in case anyone wants to guess - but I dont think it is that difficult)

BUT while taking the picture I realised I had no idea what the building is called, or what is was (or is) used for.

It looks like it may have been an old church (or methodist hall that sort of thing).

Does anyone know its history, and what plans there are for it in the future?
 

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It does look like an old church, but have not got a clue where it is. Do tell. Is it near Fleet Street?

Shortie
 
Most distinctive engineering blue brick & very central location - but haven't got a clue!
 
Shortie said:
It does look like an old church, but have not got a clue where it is. Do tell. Is it near Fleet Street?
Click to expand...

Well it may surprise you to know it is just yards from the Bull Ring and Selfridges, in fact it is the other side of the road from Selfridges. It is just behind St Martins church, right at the top end of Digbeth.

Since posting the picture I have since found out it was an old music hall, although I have yet to find out what the inside is like.

This building (and some of the ones around it) are planned for redevelopment and the area will be called Beorma Quarter. I am ashamed to say I only just found out Birmingham is named after someone called Beorma (but to be fair I was not born in Birmingham).

More about the development here

https://www.beormaquarter.com/

Here is a map of the area planned for redevelopment (from the web site above), you can see music hall on the map. Where the word "car park" is on the map is underneath Selfridges.

https://www.beormaquarter.com/images/img_city_2_big.jpg

I took my picture on the "balcony" just below where it says "Car Park", facing the music hall

Below is a wider shot of the building. On the corner of Park St and Digbeth.

This picture taken at "back" of Bull Ring with the church behind me. Park Street runs off to the left and goes up to Moor Street station, on the right (just out of shot) is Digbeth.

I have to say I have probably been past this building hundreds of time but never really noticed it.
 
The London Museum and Concert Hall opened on 24th December 1863. In 1890 it changed its name to Canterbury Tavern and Music Hall.1894 saw it change to the Pavilion. 1896 it became Coutts Theatre.It closed down in 1900 and reopened in 1912 as the Bull Ring Cinema. The Royal George was built in front of it and the address became 2 Park St.

PHEW
 
I remember the Top was used as some sort of club, open to the public, lots of girls of easy virtue, is what I remember.
 
I always used to park in Bartholomew Street and walk to the market from there, so I have passed that hundreds of time on foot and never seen it. How blind can one be? As my dad used to say, you learn a little every day.

Shortie
 
A photo of the building shortly after it closed as the Bull Ring Cinema. I know the building was used for a short while in the mid 60's as an amusement arcade. I used to go in there quite a lot.

Phil

CityBullRingParkSt.jpg
 
Some neat and nifty alacritous attention is in order to preserve this wonder.
Astonishing history.
Access be gained for full visual survey via the city archaeologist, who operates from plush appointment
in alpha tower.
The next step is to preserve it.
And revert it to theater use.
That is its calling and fulfillment of manifest destiny.
I'll also alert the character to the situation.
However, while not a sour puss, one must maintain a modicum of skepticism with these
characters.

The odious pub structure on the corner is typical of what not to do and opportunity lost - and so on and so forth.
 
Don't be sceptical. Conservation is in Alpha Tower and I personally know a few of them, if they get the money, they will do it. They are there to conserve, not destroy. By the way, Alpha Tower is not plush - it's too old for that. 1970's office block, ugly, functional but certainly not plush, inside or out.

Shortie
 
My mother who was born in Digbeth, before the First world war, told me that this cinema in Park Street, was always refered to by the locals as the 'Flea Pit' and was not somewhere she would go to, apparently in the 20's and 30's, it was common that whilst the film was being shown, attendants would walk up and down the aisles spraying chemicals into the air over the patrons, as with lots of warm bodies heating up the cinema, the flea's became a quite active and the chemicals were to kill them. God knows what the people were inhaling into their lungs whilst this was going on.

My mother preferred the Scala Cimema in Smallbrook Street(now Smallbrook Middleway) where you got a 'better' class of patron.

Having lived in Digbeth myself, I can only remember this building being open as a club or a restaurant in the late 60's early 70's, how it has survived until now with all the redevolopment in the area is a complete mystery, who owns it? Someone must as it would surely fetch a good price just for the land!!

Smiler
 
smiler said:
How it has survived until now with all the redevolopment in the area is a complete mystery, who owns it? Someone must as it would surely fetch a good price just for the land!!
Click to expand...

As I said earlier, this building (and the land behind it) has been bought and is planned to be developed.

The area will be called Beorma Quarter.

More about the development here:

https://www.beormaquarter.com/

You can see the extent of the land to be developed here:

https://www.beormaquarter.com/images/img_city_2_big.jpg
.
 
ETRAHXZ said:
.... The odious pub structure on the corner is typical of what not to do and opportunity lost - and so on and so forth.
Click to expand...

My late Dad was the foreman for that 'odious' contruction, so it's not 'odious' to me.
It, like the other buildings, is a product of its time. The brickwork is actually very neat and attractive and the unusual 'corner' wall was particularly attractive when it was adorned with a large model ship.

I love Birmingham's old buildings and am very keen for them to be appreciated ~ but I also think that we can look for the good in the works of architecture from various time periods. too.

As for the city archaeologist operating from a 'plush appointment' in in alpha tower ~ have you been there? I understand that it is not at all plush.

And the City Archaeologist has done wonders to preserve Birmingham's hidden past.
 

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The white building in the background, with the sloping roof, is still there, it was an old music hall.

It is on the corner of Digbeth and Park St, and is opposite the new Selfridges, but is now a rather dull grey.
 
It's amazing how the old music hall building on Park Street is still standing on the final picture on #608, how's it managed that?. Isn't the Boerma building going to be built there, they don't seem to have really started that for some reason.

Just found it's history..
https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/30349
 
hi brumgum
my gggrandfather was barman at the old music hall in park street and i beleive a ggg uncle who was a old time music artist played there
josie
 
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