PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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PALLADIUM, DEVONPORT
The old Metropole Theatre in Devonport went through a bad patch just before the start of the Great War. In 1912 it had reopened as the Palladium Cinema but that caused confusion with the Palladium at Ford. So by December 1913 it had been renamed again, to the Picturedrome. This change might not have come to light had not the manager applied to Devonport Corporation to open on Christmas Day, which was granted, subject to no charge being made for admission, no bars being open and a suitable film being shown. For some inexplicable reason, after taking a name that strongly suggested cinematographic films. the week after Christmas it staged a play called the "White Slave Trade". A couple of weeks later,
in February 1914, it was being advertised as the "Metropole (Picturedrome)".
In September 1914, a cinema licence was issued to Mr Gwyther Eastlake
Prance, 'the actual and responsible manager' of both the Metropole
and Hippodrome Theatres. It looks like it had returned to being called
the Metropole again. At the end
of 1917 a Mr P Pearce had submitted plans to turn it into a cinema but these were at first
refused. Further plans were submitted in May 1918, this time in the names of Mr P Pearce
and Mr R Bromhead, and these were approved. The theatre remained empty but was 'entirely
remodelled' and on Thursday September 27th 1923 it went under Woolland, Son & Manico's
hammer at the Royal Hotel, Plymouth. There was not one single bid for it and the theatre
was withdrawn from the sale. The story
does have a happy ending, however, because on Easter Saturday April 19th 1924 it reopened
as "The New Alhambra Theatre". Only the
front wall of the old Metropole was incorporated into the new theatre, the rest having
been entirely rebuilt at a cost of over £40,000. It was decorated in buff and brown with
papered panels, gilt fittings and blue seats. Two of the latest pattern projectors had
been installed at a cost of £150 each. These, the publicity boldly pointed out, were the
same as those used at the Capitol Theatre in New York, which, it added, was 'the largest
picture theatre in the world'. Sources: [1] |
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