Document of the month

Records of the Grand Theatre, Swansea

As the pantomime season approaches, readers may be interested to hear a bit about a collection of theatre records held at the West Glamorgan Archive Service. Designed by William Hope, the theatre was built in 1897 and officially declared open by the famous opera singer Madam Adelina Patti, who lived at Craig y Nos Castle, near Ystradgynlais. The theatre was one of several in Swansea at the time – within a few hundred yards was the ..., now home to Waterstones bookshop. This was the heyday of theatres, which were regularly packed with audiences looking for a respite from the daily grind.

By the 1960s the situation had changed. Cinemas had taken the place of theatres as preferred entertainment venues, and cinemas themselves were in turn being gradually supplanted by television. The Grand Theatre passed into the control of the City Council in 1969, but by the early 1980s it was clearly in need of some serious renovation work. Between 1983 and 1987 it was restored at a cost of several million pounds, and now hosts a variety of acts every year, from ballet to cabaret and from Oklahoma to Othello. A perennial highlight is the traditional Christmas pantomime, where stars of the day rub shoulders with thespians of a more local vintage.

The activities of the theatre are documented in the archives. There are programmes, posters and photographs which show the evolution of theatrical tastes as well as the changing fortunes of various of Britain's more colourful acts. The reference numbers for these collections are TC 320-328.

To find out more about the Grand Theatre, click here