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Old Birmingham Concert Hall

Charlie

Charlie

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
From a letter printed in the Birmingham Weekly Post, Friday December 11th 1937 - Mr. B.A. Porter:

"....part of an advertisement that appeared in a publication of 1849, concerning "the great Midland Metropolis of Birmingham"

CONCERT HALL, RODNEY INN, COLESHILL STREET, BIRMINGHAM.
PROPRIETOR, MR. H. HOLDER.
Open every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday for Gentlemen and Ladies only. ADMISSION FREE
H.H. Begs to announce to his friends and numerous patrons that he has completed his extensive alterations, the NEW CONCERT HALL, 97 feet in length, to which is added a spacious and commodious gallery. A NEW STAGE some 27 feet in length has been laid down. THE SPLENDID ORGAN was built by Hill of London..with ECHO ORGAN and a RING OF BELLS two octaves and a half. Mr. Holder, in thus announcing his new room, takes this opportunity of returning his heartfelt thanks for the liberal patronage hitherto bestowed upon him, and he pledges himself that nothing shall be wanting or expenses spared to make this establishment the most complete place of instructive and rational amusement in Birmingham. The manner in which the room is conducted prevents the most fastidious from being offended.

"This hall of Holder's was the forerunner of the Gaiety Concert Hall, later termed 'Theatre of Varieties'
and fell victim to that dread disease, Cinemaphobia.
Bernard A. Porter
Handsworth Wood.
 
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It was on the north side between New Thomas St and New Cross St . The 1849 directory lists the Rodney (with H Holder as landlord) as being at no 89. No 97 is listed as a boot and shoemaker
Mike
 
Sounds like it could have been a "ladies in tights" kinda place. I love the phrases in that (edited) advertisement.
Thanks Mike: do you have a map for that?
 
New Thomas st later became the lower part of Gem St. By 1890 it has expanded from no 89 to 87-89, and then takes up the entire corner plot, as can be seen at :https://www.british-history.ac.uk/mapsheet.aspx?compid=55193&sheetid=10098&ox=2827&oy=324&zm=1&czm=1&x=368&y=334 . No 89 was at the west end of that site, which presumably didn’t go back as far in 1849.
By 1912 it was listed as both the Birmingham Gaiety Theatre of Varieties and the Birmingham Coliseum Public House, but later, as is implied by the original quote by Bernard Porter, was the Gaiety cinema
Mike
 
Mike. I like to think that my Grandparents may have used it when it was a Music Hall. Such a pity they are not around today, but of coarse cinema put an end to the Music Hall as you say, it is nice to know when the change over came about.
 
Ernie
It looks as if the place was unused (for entertainment anyway) for a while between the two uses. It was pub abd musical in 1915, then not listed in 1921 (tbough it may have been used for storage or soem other ourpose), but was a cinema in 1932. Maybe one of our cinema buffs can say when it was opened as a cinema
Mike
 
Thanks for that Mike, helps to get my bearings.
Terry: That's a marvellous article and I love the photograph, many thanks.
Charlie
 
Mike, I will say " Thanks For That " as well.
Terry, Now with your post I cannot ever believe that my Grandfather would have worn a top hat.
 
This is from 1904 Kelly's listing

87 to 89 The Gaiety Theatre
of Varieties P.H. (The
Birmingham Gaiety
Theatre of Varieties Lim.
ited, proprietors)
87 to 89 The Gaiety Theatre
of Varieties (Albert
Bushell, manager
 
If any one is interested there is a book 11" by 8" by Joseph McKenna that has a full page picture - the same picture as on the arthurlloyd site, as above, but much clearer. There is one on eBay at present for £8.00.

Any information on The Old Birmingham Concert Hall I shall look forward to reading if anything more gets posted on this site.
 
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