Portsmouth music scene

Other music venues



Princes Theatre

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In 1891 Boughton employed the rising theatre architect Frank Matcham to rebuild and enlarge the Princes Theatre in Lake Road which had been destroyed by fire several years before. John Waters Boughton also had the Prince's Theatre, Portsmouth rebuilt after a fire.
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Princes Theatre in Lake Road
On the 24th of August 1940 The Princes Theatre in Lake Road, was bombed during an air raid whilst a matinee performance was taking place.
Due to communication problems no air raid warning was given, 8 children were killed in the bombing and many more were injured.


Ventos

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Above listing from Stephen Pomeroy's great web pages
- Pomeroy's Portsmouth -

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Vento's Temple of Varieties, Lake Road and Leonard Street, Portsmouth, later - The Palladium Cinema / Bolloms Store / Blundells Store
This Music Hall was situated at the corner of Lake Road and Leonard Street, Portsmouth and was built in 1884 by Frank Pearce. The lease changed hands in 1886 when Harry Vento took over and thus the name of the Music Hall, 'Vento's Temple of Varieties'.
Clientele were allowed to bring in fish and chips, oranges, nuts, etc., There were no flying facilities, a roller system took the curtain up and down.
In 1891 the licence was not renewed because of the Hall's condition and Vento stopped paying the rent to the owner, Mr Pearce.
A court case when he said that the owner Mr Pearce should refurbish the hall, Vento lost. Then Mr Pearce had the building repaiered and decided to run it himself, but on the day it was due to re-open it was destroyed by fire.
When the Hall was rebuilt it featured all the popular celebrities of those times. In 1910 it was renamed 'The Palladium' and became a cinema. The building lay derelict for many years and later Bolloms and then Blundells, both stores, but it was demolished in 1980.
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The building started life in the 1880's as a temperance music hall. To explain the title it simply meant that there were no ladies of dubious pleasure or drinks available. By 1892 the name had changed to the People's Palace. It was considered a good hall & all the great & good from the world of music hall played there, including the male impersonators Vesta Tilley & Hetty King. By the 1920's the name had changed again & became known as The Palladium & films started to be shown. This was not very successful & the building closed its doors as a place of entertainment in November 1930. I suspect it was around this time that the photo was taken.


Longs Memorial Hall and Green Row Rooms

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