n attempt to list all the shows ever performed at our Hippodromes, beginning with the temporary circus buildings, which from 1884 were specially erected on Pool Meadow for each visit - then, in 1903, to the first permanent, but short-lived, 'Tin' Hippodrome on the Priory Street side of Pool Meadow facing the old Swimming Baths. The popularity of these shows created the demand for a theatre worthy of our city, and so in 1906 began the construction in Hales Street, next to Swanswell Gate, of what we now regard as the Old Hippodrome.
Again, the success of this theatre meant that barely three decades later a greater capacity was required, and so we come to our lovely art-deco New Hippodrome in Hales Street, once known as the Showplace of the Midlands. Opening on the 1st November 1937, it was renamed Coventry Theatre in 1955, then from 1979 became The Apollo, giving its final performance in June 1985. After a short spell as a bingo hall it was eventually realised that such a building could not be put to any practical use, so, sadly, it was demolished in 2002. If anyone still has any tickets or programmes and would like to see them used to illustrate a show, please contact me.
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1906 | 'Tin' Hippodrome, Pool Meadow | ||
| Date(s) | Show | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1st Jan until Sat 6th Jan 1906 | Myles Stevadate Troupe | Grand refined musical entertainment. Plus, Miss Jenny Bellwood, Oliver Conroy, Irvin Jones, Louis Hart, and more. | |
| Mon 8th Jan until Sat 13th Jan 1906 | Hanlon Troupe in 'Jinks in the Jungle' | Plus, Stave, Tom Carney, Billy Farrell, Reed and Wells, James Anderson, and others. | |
| Mon 15th Jan until Sat 20th Jan 1906 | Lew Lake and Company | In 'The Bloomsbury Burglars'. Plus, Harry Maynard, Les Strads, Miss Ella Dean, Dean Walker, and others. | |
| Mon 22nd Jan until Sat 27th Jan 1906 | Gerat Collinson Combination | Sketch. Plus, Miss Florrie St. Clair, J. C. Callaghan, The Cameroons, Miss Gertie Gitana, and much more. | |
| Mon 29th Jan until Sat 3rd Feb 1906 | Dunedin Troupe | Champion acrobatic cyclists. Plus, Miss Elsie Roby, Professor Wishart, Mdlle. Roza's wonderful performing dogs, and more. | |
| Mon 5th Feb until Sat 10th Feb 1906 | Monsieur Dartigan | In his great cycling sensation 'looping the loop'. Plus, the Sisters Stratton, Chas. Norman, Ben Harris, and others. | |
| Mon 12th Feb until Sat 17th Feb 1906 | Tom Craven | In a comedy sketch. Plus, Onda and Leon, La Dansense, Boyd and Gilfain, Tom Hughes, and others. | |
| Mon 19th Feb until Sat 24th Feb 1906 | Tom Lloyd | Famous comedian, Plus, Miss Lottie Bray, Cecile & Francois, Miss Venie Clements, Judd, Rudd & Budd, and others. | |
| Mon 26th Feb until Sat 3rd Mar 1906 | Harry Freeman | Celebrated comedian. Plus, Madame Collard's Trained Boarhounds, Miss Katie Marsh, Alethea, and many more. | |
| Mon 5th Mar until Sat 10th Mar 1906 | Arthur Rigby | Plus, Dunning, George Collins, The 3 Sisters Chester, Kahn & Kahn, John Foskett, and others. | |
| Mon 12th Mar until Sat 17th Mar 1906 | The Mackways | Eccentric knockabout comedians on slack wire. Plus, Miss Agnes Hazel, Verno & Voyce, Cecilian Quartette, Miss Lena Verdi, and more. | |
| Mon 19th Mar until Sat 24th Mar 1906 | The King's Navee | The English quartette. Plus, Mr. & Mrs. Paul Courtney, Paul Pelham, G. W. Kenway, The Frantz Troupe, and many others. | |
| Mon 26th Mar until Sat 31st Mar 1906 | The Would-Be-Actors | A successful skit. With Lorne & Rene, Dan Conroy, J. H. Graham & Zerlina Harrington, 'A Daughter of Pleasure'. And more. | |
| Mon 2nd Apr until Sat 7th Apr 1906 | Muir and Bartlett's Company, 'The Collar Stud' | Celebrated comedy. Plus, Scottie's Waifs and Strays, George Prince, Alf Aubyn and Co., Miss Raffin, and others. | |
| Mon 9th Apr until Sat 14th Apr 1906 | Harry Tate's No. 1 Company | Miss Lizzie Dannels, Joe Conroy, Burley and Burley, George Brooks, Miss Marguerite Redcliff, and more. | |
| Mon 16th Apr until Sat 21st Apr 1906 | Austin Rudd | Plus, Spencer and Marks, Rowland Hill, The Dunvilles, Fred Dunston, Burge, Haud and Wise, and others. | |
| Mon 23rd Apr until Sat 28th Apr 1906 | Miss Dinah Morris | With specially selected company. Plus, Whisper, Miss Beaty Bloom, The Smyhons, Belrose and Develine, and more. | |
| Mon 30th Apr until Sat 5th May 1906 | Lady Mansel's Juveniles | The greatest amusement entertainers. Plus, Whitsap, Miss Bloom, Joe Love, Sisters Desmond, and many more. | |
| Mon 7th May until Sat 12th May 1906 | Sleedes | With Miss Rae Rosenthal, Messrs. Harman and Lanton, Roma and Romani, Ellis and Watts, and others. | |
| Mon 14th May until Sat 19th May 1906 | Peggy Pryde | In a return visit of Harry Tate's No. 1 Company in that laughable interlude, 'Motoring'. Plus, Miss Lily Lasser, Lloyd Morgan, and others. | |
| Mon 21st May until Sat 26th May 1906 | Gotham Comedy Quartette | Plus, Miss Bell, Alie Thomas, Miss Louise Peach and Company, Karr and Kooney, and others. | |
| Mon 28th May until Sat 2nd Jun 1906 | D'Arc's Marionettes | At great expense. Plus, Ena Richards, Mr. Chas Woodward, Ariel & Astarte, Johnny Holland, and more. | |
| Mon 4th Jun until Sat 9th Jun 1906 | Wal Pink's Sketch | With Arthur Elvy, Miss Mabelle May, Johnny Dwyer, Mdlle. Viviani, Dale & O'Malley, and others. | |
| Mon 11th Jun until Sat 16th Jun 1906 | Harry Tate's Comedy Company in 'Fishing' | Plus, Miss Florence Watson, The Daintons, Geo. M. Schilling, Mr. Tom Wilkins, and more. | |
| Mon 18th Jun until Sat 23rd Jun 1906 | The Defence of Rorke's Drift | Plus, Norman Mint, Frank & Violet Payte, Mdlle. Roza's Canine Hippodrome, Harry Zitter, and others. | |
| Mon 25th Jun until Sat 30th Jun 1906 | Tom Costello | Plus, Les Sprays, Charles Stevens, Will McIvor, The 3 Panamas, Miss Rose Revell, and more. | |
| Mon 2nd Jul until Sat 7th Jul 1906 | Nell Gwynne | By Miss Frances Harold and Company. Plus, Lily Stewart, Cecil Eugene, The Paulasto Troupe, and others. | |
| Mon 9th Jul until Sat 14th Jul 1906 | Ernest Rees | Plus, Allsop & Bekwith, Arthur Slater, Elsie Hill & Company, Elvio Comedy Trio, Mr. Fred Keeton, and more. | |
| Mon 16th Jul until Sat 21st Jul 1906 | The Three Sisters Sprightly | Plus, Williams & Warden, Miss Beatie Worth, The 4 Hearns, Sam Sharpley, and others. | |
| Mon 23rd Jul until Sat 28th Jul 1906 | Nellie Wallace | Plus, E. W. Selman, Welda and Wynne, The Delomes, Miss Iva Callard, Picton Roxborough & Fannie Wright, and more. Closed for a week following this run. | |
| Mon 6th Aug until Sat 11th Aug 1906 | Miss Rose Elliott | The singer of sensible songs. Plus, Salida and Vone, Rita and Roma, Alice May in 'Tranquility', and much more. | |
| Mon 13th Aug until Sat 18th Aug 1906 | George Bastow | London's favourite comedian. Plus, The Sisters Allen, Connie Milton, Cussac-Talma, and others. | |
| Mon 20th Aug until Sat 25th Aug 1906 | Six Brothers Luck | In their most laughable pantomime, 'The Demon of the Cellar'. Plus, Miss Amey Sullivan, Russell Carr, and more. | |
| Mon 27th Aug until Sat 1st Sep 1906 | Horace Whitley | England's greatest Irish comedian. Plus, May Bass, The 4 Watsons, Anthony, Percival, and others. | |
| Mon 3rd Sep until Sat 8th Sep 1906 | The Collinson Combination | In 'The Cook's Guest', a screaming absurdity on 'Nero'. Plus, Miss Kate Gourley, Sauteron Wonders, Vi Carlyle, and many others. | |
| Mon 10th Sep until Sat 15th Sep 1906 | Tom Edwards | Plus, Ossi Souplessi, Miss Lucretia, Dave O. Tool, Elsie Earl, Miss Challas, Sid Cotterell and Company, and more. | |
| Mon 17th Sep until Sat 22nd Sep 1906 | Frank Seeley | Plus, A-Bo-Koo, Halm & Cozens, Carlotta Levey, Billy Ross & Co., and others. | |
| Mon 24th Sep until Sat 29th Sep 1906 | Marie Santoi and Her Merry Little Japs | Plus, Miss Minnie Dare, Professor Thornbury, Miss Alice Maidew, Yorick and Yorick, and others. | |
| Mon 1st Oct until Sat 6th Oct 1906 | Neil Kenyon | Great Scotch comedian. Plus, Ventnor Swift, Harris & Worth, The 4 Figaros, Stan Aubrey, and more. | |
| Mon 8th Oct until Sat 13th Oct 1906 | The Delevines | In a comedy act entitled, 'Flip and Flopp'. Plus, Three Sisters Tree, Fred Collins, Miss Gladys Mavis, Don Miguel, and more. | |
| Mon 15th Oct until Sat 20th Oct 1906 | Erne Mayne | London's popular comedian. Plus, Lee & Kingston, Harry Bancroft, A. F. Clifford, Emmie Ames, and others. | |
| Mon 22nd Oct until Sat 27th Oct 1906 | James Fawn | Plus, Sinclair and Parr, Charles Lilburn, Four Spanish Goldinis, Stanley and Grenhop, Blanch and Powell, and more. | |
| Mon 29th Oct until Sat 3rd Nov 1906 | The 3 Olympiers | In an artistic entertainment entitled 'Beauty in Bronze'. Plus, Beattie Foster, Wallace Whitney, The Meymots, and others. | |
| Mon 5th Nov until Sat 10th Nov 1906 | Ella Shields | America's greatest black singer. Plus, Lade Henderson, Lugio's Sextette, Hymack, Lorence Barcley, and more. | |
| Mon 12th Nov until Sat 17th Nov 1906 | Haley's Juveniles | In their magnificent carnival scena. Plus, Dolly Denton, Charles Williams, The Three Delaries, and many more. | |
| Mon 19th Nov until Sat 24th Nov 1906 | The Little Stowaway | By Ethel Arden and George Abel's Company. Plus, Miss Molly Laurn, John Fuloury, Sweet, Dale & Sweet, and more. | |
| Mon 26th Nov until Sat 1st Dec 1906 | Austin Rudd | London's popular comedian. Plus, Agnes Maxwell, Starr and Leslie, W. J. Churchill, Leonard Barry, and others. | |
| Mon 3rd Dec until Sat 8th Dec 1906 | Harry Champion | Comic singer. Plus, Miss Katie Marsh, Les Montaldos, Graham and Zerlina Harrington, Miss Mille Payne and Miss Nellie Wallace, and more. | |
| Mon 10th Dec until Sat 15th Dec 1906 | Tan-Kwai Troupe | Chinese conjurors, contortionists, Jugglers, acrobats, etc. Plus, Bert Woodward, Violet Nunn, Professor Thornbury, and more. | |
| Mon 17th Dec until Sat 22nd Dec 1906 | 10 Loonies 10 | In their celebrated mad musical sketch, entitled 'Dotty'. Plus, J. C. Heffron, Natalia and Diana, Elsie Earle, and others. | |
| Mon 24th Dec until Sat 29th Dec 1906 | Bob Hutt's No. 1 Company in 'Welcome Home' | Plus, Miss Lily Pender, Keen & Correne, Fred Terry, Morney Cash, Staley & Jonstone, Bob Pearson, Miss Lydia Wells, Bogetti Troupe. THE FINAL WEEK FOR THE 'TIN' HIPPODROME! | |
1906 | Old Hippodrome, Hales Street | ||
| Date(s) | Show | Notes | Images |
| Mon 31st Dec 1906 | GRAND OPENING WEEK | Starring Magnificent Operatic Extravaganza, Captain Kidd or The Pirates of Wapping, plus the Gordon Highlanders - McCann, Speciality Comedian - Miss Georgina Leonard, England's Premier Descriptive Vocalist - Frank Cass, the Man with a powerful Voice - Hippodrome pictures - H. Clifford, Eccentric Comedian - The Smythsons in 'The Lie Alarm' - Newhouse and Ward, Entertaining Cyclists and Jugglers. | |
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1884 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985
Also of interest might be A short history of Coventry's Theatres and Cinemas, by Bill Birch.
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