Jump to content

The Albert Hall


Sheffield History

Recommended Posts

post-1-1174217794.jpg

The Albert Hall
Barkers Pool
- City Centre

Standing close to where the large Cole Brothers building is that replaced it, the Albert Hall opened on December 14th 1873.

It was the property of The Sheffield Music Hall Company Ltd and the Duke Of Norfolk was the dignitary that laid the foundation stone for the building at the top of Burgess Street.

The concert room itself was designed with a total of 2200 seats which must have been a grand sight when full

The Albert Hall was designed by Edward M. Gibbs, who also designed Ranmoor Church and the Mappin Art Gallery

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest tsavo

Assuming that's the Armistace Day Parade, we can identify the time & date. The Faithful Heart at the Regent and White Face at the Albert Hall make this 1934. Time? between 10.30am & Noon. Oh, the wonders of Google! (I know, I really should get out more!!!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to have taken so long to answer this, Echo, must have missed it. I've also read (somewhere) that religious meetings were held in the Albert Hall. Seems the 'Great Hall' was on the first floor and presumably there was another hall on the ground floor. Will keep looking for the original info.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Opened in 1873 for "music, Entertainment & public meetings" It was claimed to have one on the finest concert organs in the country. The hall burned down on the night of July 14 1937. The picture below was taken the day after. The `City Council purchased the site in August 1938 for £50.000 and then what?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It bit more information : "The Albert Hall was used a cinema and on Sundays reverted to its oiginal use for religious purposes. The organ was said to be worth £30,000 at the time of the fire. It was intended to become the New Law Courts but eventually became Cole Brothers"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are a couple of contemporary newspaper accounts of the "Savation Army Riots" of January 1882 on

http://www.chrishobbs.com/sheffield/salvat...myriots1882.htm.

I must admit I was rather surprised about the hostility and antipathy shown towards the Salvationists by the people of Sheffield.

Have you seen Roy Hattersley's biography of the Booths? It's very interesting.It wasn't just the people of Sheffield who were antagonistic to the Salvationists - they were regularly attacked - often by people who spent lots of time in pubs ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The current Coles (sorry John lewis) building was opened in 1963 on land that was desribed as derelict.

Interesting to see the old Gaumont Cinema building next door.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wasn't it used as a place of worship at some time, or is my imagination running wild?

It was, here's the proof ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Albert Hall

Barkers Pool - City Centre

The concert room itself was designed with a total of 2200 seats which must have been a grand sight when full

But does it take 4000 holes to fill it?

I read the news today, oh boy

4000 holes in Blackburn Lancashire

And though those holes were rather small

They had to count them all

Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest skeets

Albert Hall on fire!

l just posted re; this fire l always thought l was 7 at the time but if it was1937 l must have bee 9 yrs old. when l watched it on fire. Skeets

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Albert Hall

Barkers Pool - City Centre

attachicon.gifalbert_hall.jpg

Photo courtesy Picture Sheffield

Standing close to where the large Cole Brothers building is that replaced it, the Albert Hall opened on December 14th 1873.

It was the property of The Sheffield Music Hall Company Ltd and the Duke Of Norfolk was the dignitary that laid the foundation stone for the building at the top of Burgess Street.

The concert room itself was designed with a total of 2200 seats which must have been a grand sight when full

The Albert Hall was designed by Edward M. Gibbs, who also designed Ranmoor Church and the Mappin Art Gallery

December 15th, according to the newspapers ....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's a view of the Albert Hall from Burgess Street, the tower in the back ground may have held a large cold water feed tank.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's a view of the Albert Hall from Burgess Street, the tower in the back ground may have held a large cold water feed tank.

Could it have been a ventilation tower?

Continued from post #16 "The Opening of The New Music Hall".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Could it have been a ventilation tower?

Continued from post #16 "The Opening of The New Music Hall".

attachicon.gifalbert h_December 16, 1873.jpg

I agree that the tower was probably concerned with ventilation. If it contained a water tank that would have been sited high up in the structure and the last thing you want in a water tower is an extensive set of louvres to allow the cold wind blow in and freeze the tank in winter. Perhaps the dual secular / church use of the building meant there was a set of bells in the tower ?

HD

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree that the tower was probably concerned with ventilation. If it contained a water tank that would have been sited high up in the structure and the last thing you want in a water tower is an extensive set of louvres to allow the cold wind blow in and freeze the tank in winter. Perhaps the dual secular / church use of the building meant there was a set of bells in the tower ?

HD

I know the "Albert" used water in some of its stage performances but on reading the ventilation idea, I must agree that it's a correct idea.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

​I watched a documentary on music halls a while ago. In the early 1800s the acts were held in pubs where mostly workers would drink. Over time the places got too small due to the population boom and so music halls were built especially. These halls would host acts that appealed to all classes of society, but at the time were seen as immoral. They also had a growing problem with prostitution. The 1880s saw the height of the arguments by the temperance movement to have such acts banned, which caused uproar among the working classes (men and women alike).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 25/09/2008 at 08:19, dunsbyowl1867 said:

Opened in 1873 for "music, Entertainment & public meetings" It was claimed to have one on the finest concert organs in the country. The hall burned down on the night of July 14 1937. The picture below was taken the day after. The `City Council purchased the site in August 1938 for £50.000 and then what?

albert.jpg



That's a great photo!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Owing to illness, Sheffield's Albert Hall has a unique place in musical history. It was to be the venue for the second performance of Elgar's "Coronation Ode" on the 2nd October 1902, to celebrate the Coronation of King Edward VII. However, there was a problem with the King's health and so what would have been the first performance, on the night before the Coronation, had to be postponed along with the Coronation. So what was going to be the second performance became the first performance.

The final section of the Ode, Land of Hope and Glory, is a reworking of the trio from Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No.1. One source says that it was the King himself who suggested words could be set to this tune. The tune is altered and the words to the Ode are not those familiar to the Last Night of the Proms audience:

Quote

VI – "Land of hope and glory" – Finale (Contralto Solo and Tutti)

Solo
    Land of hope and glory,
        Mother of the free,
    How shall we extol thee,
        who are born of thee?
    Truth and Right and Freedom,
        each a holy gem,
    Stars of solemn brightness,
        weave thy diadem.

Chorus
    'Tho thy way be darken'd,
        still in splendour drest,
    As the star that trembles
        o'er the liquid West.
    Thron'd amid the billows,
        thron'd inviolate,
    Thou hast reign'd victorious,
        thou hast smil'd at fate.

Soloists and Chorus
    Land of hope and glory,
        Fortress of the free,
    How shall we extol thee?
        praise thee, honour thee?
    Hark! a mighty nation
        maketh glad reply;
    Lo, our lips are thankful;
        lo, our hearts are high!
    Hearts in hope uplifted,
        loyal lips that sing;
    Strong in Faith and Freedom,
        we have crowned our King!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...