Britannia Music Hall
This small collection of material includes articles, leaflets, a poster, a playbill, and a programme.
The Britannia Music Hall started life in 1857 as Campbell's music saloon, an unlicensed music hall, owned by Mr Brand and run by an actor called Willie Campbell. Arthur Hubner took over the lease of Campbell's and renamed it the Britannia.
In 1903 the Hall closed for three years and in 1906 Albert Ernest Pickard bought the building and introduced the name Panopticon. Between 1906 and 1938 the building housed not just a music hall and cinema entertainment but also a zoological collection of live animals, a carnival, an American museum and a freak show.
Stan Jefferson (Stan Laurel) gave his comic debut performance in 1906 and Cary Grant is also said to have performed there as Archie Leach, a member of Bob Pender's tumbling troupe, before moving to Hollywood.
The theatre closed in 1938. The Britannia survives as Scotland's earliest music hall.
How to find material relating to the Britannia Theatre
- Browse through a list of documents or events associated with The Britannia or use the Name Search option on the Scottish Theatre Archive Search
See also
