Stratford-upon-Avon
The Old Theatre
A super old postcard of the Old Theatre from about 1916. The artist was W W Quartremain.  (006)
The original proposal that Stratford should honour the memory of its greatest son by building a
theatre seems to have been made after the centenary celebrations in 1864. In due course a
Shakespeare Memorial Association was formed and plans were drawn up for a theatre, picture
gallery and library to be built on the banks of the Avon on land donated by Charles Flower, a local
brewer.
The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre opened on April 19th, 1879, the first performance being "Much
Ado About Nothing" - not "Hamlet" as had been planned. There was initially a Spring Festival of the
bard's plays, which ran for three weeks. In 1910 a Summer Festival was added, lasting another month.
These festivals ran until 1916, when they were suspended until after the war. In the 1920s they were
extended further, and attendances increased - in fact so successful were they that in 1925 hundreds of
people were unable to obtain tickets.
But in March 1926..................................click on this link to see what happened.
Two undated postcards from the early 20th Century.
A nice, reflective view from around 1910.
A rather strange postcard of the Old Theatre produced by a reliable company,
Harvey Barton and Son of Bristol. Although fairly accurate, it doesn't really look like
the same building !
A lovely, clear postcard from the Edwardian era.
This postcardof the Gower Memorial was mailed in
1906.
When the new theatre was built, the Gower Memorial
was relocated to its present site in the Bancroft near
the road. During the war, the smaller statues saw a bit
of action. The Americans and Canadians,  stationed in
Stratford or at Wellesbourne,  and the soldiers from
Long Marston, used to get drunk in Bird's, the Anchor,
the George and other establishments, and on several
occasions statues were painted and chucked in the
basin ! I can remember my mum taking me to see one
being pulled out - this would have been 1943-ish. This
postcard is from 1911, so well before Prince Hal's
swimming days !
Look at the stone-work in the bridge ! A complete
contrast to the theatre.
The "Black Swan", or "Dirty Duck" as it is known locally, is one of Stratford's most famous and frequented pubs. It is situated just across the road
from the theatre gardens.
This clear view makes the river look very wide.
An interior view which illustrates just how intimate (small !) the old auditorium was !
A postcard from the early 1900s in the Raphael Tuck "Oilette" series.
"Stratford-on-Avon is famous the world over as the birthplace of William Shakespeare, the great poet and dramatist. A large Gothic building, after designs by W F
Unsworth, has been erected to his memory on the river banks. The building comprises a theatre, library, picture gallery and large central tower, from the summit of
which a fine general view of the town is obtained."
An undated postcard by Raphael Tuck.
A couple of nice views - unfortunately the postcards are of indifferent quality.
An unused postcard - so no date !
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Postcards of the Past
Another nice postcard of the Gower Memorial, at that
time by the Old Theatre.
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Two more undated postcards of the Old Theatre.
Two views of the theatre and the bridge.
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about this beautiful old theatre.