| Greig, John B. (2005). Some Croydon pictures, Bull Croydon Nat Hist Sci Soc, 124: 7-9. |
Some Croydon picturesIn October 2003 an email came from Mrs Margaret Hind of Lower Coombe Street indicating that she and her husband Rob, with whom she had run the Old Windsor Stores, were moving out of the area. In clearing out they had found some framed pictures of Victorian Croydon and a framed souvenir programme of a performance at The Palace Theatre of Varieties in 1901. At one time these had been hung as decorations in The Surrey Cricketers. Margaret and Rob wondered whether these would be appropriate for the Society's museum collections. We hold various other items of Victoriana and Edwardiana and, since these fitted well into our Social History collection, I was delighted to accept them. Two Victorian pictures are reproductions of prints of the Old Town area of Croydon. One is a photomezzotype of Middle Row, looking south towards the Old Town Hall and is titled 'Middle Row. A relic of ye Olde Croydon.' It is attributed to J. Corbet Anderson and there is an inscription indicating that he had drawn the original in 1875. The second reproduction print is unattributed but represents a view of Crown Hill looking west towards Croydon Parish Church. The third Victorian item is a photograph of Croydon Town Hall in 1896. The legend records that the architect was Charles [H]enman (the bracketed letter is a red initial letter which has faded to illegibility). The photograph had been taken by S.P.L. Phillips of East Croydon and the date is significant as it was on May 19, 1896 that the newly-built Town Hall was formally opened by Their Royal Highnesses, the Prince and Princess of Wales. Charles Henman was a local architect and may have been the Society member living (in 1884-1886) at "Streatley", Friend's-road East. The souvenir programme for a Fifth Anniversary Celebration at The Palace Theatre of Varieties on Wednesday, November 20, 1901 is printed on satin, now a yellow colour but possibly originally cream. We already hold a similar programme for the Seventh Anniversary Celebration on Tuesday, December 15, 1903, printed on mauve satin; it is interesting to look at the similarities and the differences between the two. In the two-year gap between the performances there had been no change in the directors of the theatre, they were Herbert Campbell, Fred Williams and T. Gardiner Hales; however, they had changed the name to The National Palace Theatre of Varieties by 1903. There were a multiplicity of acts on each programme, sixty-six in 1901 and eighty-five in 1903 (though not all would necessarily have appeared on the day) and I have not spotted any similarities between them, though this is a matter for a historian of Edwardian music hall as acts might have changed their names within those two years. Mr Herbert Campbell is listed on the programme for 1901; could he have been providing an introduction? For Croydonians there is greater interest to be found in those names which reflect local associations with the theatre. The General Manager, Mr Eustace H Jay is to be found on both programmes, though by 1903 he is described as the Resident General Manager. There is less continuity in those responsible for the stage arrangements, in 1901 they were Messrs Fred. Napoli and J. Edward Giggs, in 1903 they were Messrs Papa Brown, Jack Lotto and J. E. Giggs. Various local dignitaries are named as being patrons of these performances, although only Alderman Sir Frederick Edridge, J.P. and Councillor W. George Stapleton, Esq. are common to both programmes. Other patrons in 1901 were: Alderman John Thrift, J.P., Alderman J. H. Schmitz, J.P., Dr T. R. Adams, J.P., C. Hussey, Esq., J.P., Councillor T. W. Dobson, J.P., Councillors G. Noakes and W. G. Fenn, and Bruce Johnston, Esq. and Major General Bedford. It is interesting that, of the eleven patrons in 1901, at least seven were, at one time or another, Society members: Edridge, Schmitz, Adams, Hussey, Fenn, Johnston and Bedford. For the 1903 performance, only Edridge, of the five patrons, was a Society member. Dr Thomas Rutherford Adams is of particular interest as he was one of an extended family of doctors, several practising in Croydon, his son Evelyn Lancelot being one of his partners in later years and his nephew Peter Thomas Duncan also being a Croydon doctor. Dr Adams was a life member of the Croydon Literary and Scientific Institution and was either a founder member of the Croydon Microscopical Club or was elected in its first year and his election was not recorded in the Proceedings. He allowed his membership to lapse in the 1880s but rejoined in 1903, by which time the Club had become the Croydon Natural History and Scientific Society. His death, shortly after Christmas 1905, was noted in our Proceedings. His patronage of the Palace Theatre of Varieties anniversary performance was probably not out of character as he was forced to cancel a theatre visit by the onset of the peritonitis that led to his death two days later. So, the gift of Mr and Mrs Hind provides a valuable insight into Croydon society and has also stimulated a search for further information about some of our early members. For this we thank them sincerely. John B Greig
|
Top of page ~ Index of Bulletin issues ~ CNHSS Archives Page Last updated
March 11th 2005 |