Photo-a-Day  (Saturday, 31st May, 2025)

Colin thank you for highlighting on of the exhibits in the current exhibition, it's well worth a visit. Thank you and all the other contributors who take time to make WIGAN WORLD such an I interesting site .

This seat would be pre-1935? I say this as the Hippodrome was refurbished in 1935 and then, in 1956, was destroyed by fire so anything like that chair would be destroyed too.

My cousin worked at the hippodrome. He said the seat was made by jones and sons Liverpool.

There is a fascinating article entitled’ The Hippodrome Theatre, King Street, Wigan (Formally the Grand Hippodrome) by Arthur Lloyd.
A full and detailed history from its inception to closure along with photographs and images, if interested you might care to Google it. Far too much for me to copy and paste.

That's a lovely ornate seat. Every photo on p a d somehow seems to bring a memory. The first play I ever saw at Wigan Little Theatre was "set" in the basement of The Hippodrome during an air raid, where the staff had gathered. When the "all clear" sounded at the end of the play the "caretaker" was locking up and a voice off-stage shouted, "And put that cigarette out.....you'll burn this bloody place down one of these days!".

It's taken me back to the Old Carton Cinema in Pemberton, which is now a carpet shop, where the owners have kept some of the seats and old film show posters.
I found it so interesting that I made a video of it.

https://youtu.be/Uyyt6u67KjA?si=j7n3cByQZoa8JlI8

Mick you might be right although I have never heard of Jones and Sons but would be interested to know more about them.
I mentioned the two I know best as they were both still pre-eminent from their early beginnings in the 1950’s when subsequently Dawson was acquired by EMI Pathe’ and CR Harrison’s by The Rank Organisation to furnish both companies extensive estate of Theatres and Cinemas.
There are still four UK companies manufacturing Theatre Seating and many others that import, although these are mainly for Cinemas.
The major four are.
Audience Systems, Westbury, Wiltshire.
Auditoria Services, Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
Kirwin & Simpson, Greys, Essex.
Race Furniture, Bourdon-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire.

John Noakes, even today when a theatre is reconfigured or reinstated it is not uncommon for the existing seating to be striped out, refurbished and reinstalled, this would I’m sure have been the case for the Hippodrome.
Cast iron stanchions and beech framed seats and backs were made to last so why buy new when you could refurbish at minimal cost.
Although much of the Hippodrome was destroyed that night, there were pockets around the auditorium only suffering from smoke and water damage and much of the back stage area behind the Fire Curtain untouched. There I have no doubt that they would have a store of what is termed ‘Attic Stock’ Seats, Backs and a roll of Fabric, in case a seat became broken or soiled during a performance.
That said, I have no doubts about the authenticity of the Attendant Seat although the padding and fabric would I think be more recent.
There are bodies such as The Theatres Trust acting in the interest of old theatres and cinemas and they much favour refurbishment or recreation of original designs and fabrics over new and can provide substantial grants to do so .

It was a special treat going to the Hippodrome in the fifties and a sad loss. I remember going to see Dick Whittington. Most seats in cinemas were very much the same as the rescued one. The Ritz with the velvet seats and even Scholes Pictures had ‘best (velvet) seats’ at the back and wooden seats at the front. Strange how many fires there were in Wigan..I do remember the Hippodrome fire very well- the sky was red we could see it from Scholes….

I was taken to a Christmas Show at the Hippodrome around the age of 7yrs. Betty Driver was the Star turn. She sang & played a white piano accompanied by a little white poodle.... (who didnt sing) Also there was a male artiste (?) who played the harmonica & he threw small harmonicas out into the audience....probable wouldn't be allowed today,....we children loved it. Think I remember a man imitating bird song as well.

Mick, thanks for that link, I can't quite make out the chair model but it could have been one named 'Viceroy' by Rank.
Cast iron stanchions became more expensive in the 1970 and one by one the foundries closed, flat and tubular steel was much cheaper and more readily available.
We still had a great wood shop even when we moved from Barn Lane Golborne to the old Sovereign Toffee Factory in Lowton, chair frames and desk tops in solid beech until a unfortune accident. Much of the beech was imported from Belgium, what no one realised was that much of the beech trees in that area were embedded deep with shrapnel from the first world war which didn't react well when going through a circular saw. Fortunately most of the shrapnel and the saw blades teeth finished up in the roof and not the operative!!!
I noticed the poster for the London Film Festival, it still going and one of my last cinema projects before Covid kicked in and I retired was at the BFI on The South Bank, quite a interesting place to visit for Cinema Buffs and they have a great archive of historical films, even some on Wigan!

My grandmother was related to the owners of the Hippodrome, there was always five front row seats permanently reserved for family. A great treat during the pantomime season.
Helen would that man have been Ronnie Ronalde, famous for his bird whistling.

My Dad took me to see Jane Eyre when I was a little’un and it frightened me to death,of course I don’t remember which part would frighten me,up when we got home my Mam could see I’d been frightened and didn’t half tell my poor Dad off…poor Dad.!!!

Thomas (Tom) Walsh, thank you for the mention about the people who make WIGAN WORLD such an interesting site. By saying thank you and all the other contributors who take the time to make it so, I'm one of those people you are praising. Thanks again. A few weeks ago, I sent in a photo of your photo that proudly stands in the Wigan marketplace of our very own Wigan Historian, it hasn't appeared yet, we will just have to wait and see if it ever will, I hope it does because I don't some people on here know what you do for Wigan.
Another thing, about 10 or more years ago, I met your daughter at Haigh Hall, and she asked me if I was the legendary plantations photographer, Ron Dawber. I said no, I wasn't, but I do know him.
BTW my family came from Holland street, Scholes, You might have known them, but they moved out of Scholes and up the Shevington in the 40s names would be Joe Byrne, who came from Castlebellingham, Co Louth Ireland.

Colin, the comment at 05:09 was made by a fake Mick Byrne.

Thanks Mick, I don’t know why these clearly cloned names aren’t edited out, there IP addresses must be known by admin.
I join you in thanking Tom Walsh for taking his time to acknowledge the efforts we put in and not always appreciate.
So a big thank you Tom, your kind words are very much appreciated.

I agree about Tom's kind comment and it's good to know he enjoys people's comments as I realise I that I personally do tend to ramble on!....the trouble is that the lovely photos bring back memories somehow and I go off at a tangent, but the photographic contributors are very patient! Colin, Peter's late Mother worked at The Sovereign Toffee Works in Lowton that you mentioned, and I know that. like me, you have been to The Hyde Park Picture House in Leeds where the seats are very much like today's photo. I thought it was a film-set when I saw it on "First Of The Summer Wine" and was amazed to find it actually exits and is still a working cinema. We were lucky the day we went to see it as a lady was just opening the door and invited us in. I was amazed to find it it is gas-lit! I will never forget it.

Maureen, I was on the bar at Wigan Little Theatre one night when they were doing "Jane Eyre". It was in the old bar, not the current one, and was in the basement and a lot more old-fashioned that the new bar. I was on my own as the audience had just gone up to the auditorium. The play started with a very creepy moaning Yorkshire wind "over the moors" and the sound people accidentally sent it through to the bar as well as the auditorium and I jumped out of my skin! It felt like I was in a Hammer Horror Film!

Irene, did you manage to get to the Steam Rally at Heskin Hall today? Don't worry if you missed it because it will be on again tomorrow, but tomorrow is going to be wet, wet, wet according to the weatherwoman.

Colin am I right in thinking that you’re the Chairman..

Irene,if they did that the night my Dad took me,it’s no wonder it frightened me..oo’er.

No, we didn't go to the steam rally at Heskin Hall.....it is the 1940s event next week that we are interested in.

Mick and Colin thank you for your comments , and again thank you and the contributors who make this site . I don't often comment but I look at the site everyday without fail.
Mick I knew many people from Holland St, they must have been neighbours of your Dad .It must have been hard for your Dad leaving Ireland, but they had to leave for work , thank you again.