Victorian tourists visiting Bridlington needed entertainment and in 1896 the New Spa and Gardens were opened as part of a development by the Whitaker Brothers.
The five-acre site included a theatre, concert hall, bandstand and refreshment rooms.
In 1906 the original theatre was destroyed by fire.
The current Spa Theatre and Opera House, designed by WS Walker, was opened in 1907 and used to show that
new invention, the cinematograph.
In 1914 the council took a lease on the Spa and then bought it in 1919.
In 1925 the council replaced the last of the 1890s Spa with the new Spa Royal Hall. A flagship art deco building, it opened in 1926 and cost £50,000.
It was to be reduced to ashes in January 1932. Fortunately the theatre was not badly damaged and was able to re-open at Easter.
Between the wars, the Spa provided plays and variety in the theatre and dancing in the Royal Hall.
Herman Darewski was the well-known and very successful musical director at the Spa from 1924 to 1939.
After the war the traditional holiday trade and entertainments continued but as the 1960s dawned, the car, increased wealth and the package tour brought more changes.
The Spa moved from weekly shows and the theatre and dances in the hall to a new broader base. The Royal Hall has been a feature of the British rock circuit now for more than 30 years with many famous artists playing it, while conference and association use of the facilities has increased to balance the decline in the more traditional entertainments.
Plan your days and nights out with the help of What Where When by clicking hereListen to musical versions of our stories in Free Press In Song by clicking here Read articles about the area's past in Bygone Bridlington by clicking hereThe full article contains 315 words and appears in Bridlington Free Press newspaper.
