Page 7 - Palace Memories Gerald Jervis

Palace Theatre Memories Redditch Heritage

Recollections by Colin Wheeler With Contributions From The

Records Of The Late Mr. Gerald Jervis

Introduction

Tom Shrimpton, a local builder, built the Palace Theatre in 1913. Bertie Crew An
architect who specialised in theatre design and who was responsible for numerous
famous theatres designed the theatre. Tom`s share in the Palace was passed to his
first in-line son T. Mason Shrimpton (who dropped dead one Christmas day whilst
warming up for a football match) his share passed to his widow, who on her second
marriage became Mrs Gee , who was a well known director of the former Redditch
Building supplies.

It was during this period that the theatrical touring system was in operation with its
circuits of No. 1 Houses, No.2 Houses and No3 Houses.

Up to then, theatrical companies visited the Public Hall, on the site, which was later,
the Gaumont Cinema, and later still the Bingo Hall in Church Road.

Previously, Redditch`s theatrical needs had been met by various “fit up” theatres.
There were several of these portable canvas-and-timber structures on the move, but
the best known locally was “Jennings Theatre”, under the direction of the redoubtable
Mrs Jennings, which used to take up its stand in the yard of the Fox and Goose Inn,
later The Royal Hotel, now The Works. The Royal Yard was later for many years the
headquarters of Wilson’s Fun Fair, and covered roughly the same area as the tradition-
al market and now to become the site of the new Debenhams store.

The late J. Marston Goulcher once gave an account of an evening at “Jennings”, with
its huge coke stove, which roasted the audience on one side, froze it on the other, and
choked it entirely with its fumes. Mrs Jennings’s make-up, with its dry colours, once
formed part of the late Mrs Hilda Evans’s (of 125 Birchfield Road) collection of
theatrical relics.

The Palace itself continued for several years, playing host to No 2 and No 3 tours of
pays, musical comedies (such as“The Arcadians”), opera companies and so on. When
Mr Ernest Lydeard reads these lines, he will remember the story he once told me,
about the opera company who recruited him to play the flute in their orchestra, with
no rehearsal and from a band-part so dirty that the notes were indistinguishable from
the background, and so torn that quite long rests of so many bars might have been
indicated on the quarter circle where the corner of each page had been. As this News
letter is also read by at least one local vicar, I am unable to quote the remark which,
Mr. Lydeard told me a frustrated musician had pencilled on the inside of the cover.

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