03/02/2023
Our first Drag-Opticon of 2023 hosted by Auntie Effie.
The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall
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The World's Oldest Surviving Music Hall in the heart of Glasgow. To find out when we are open please Oldest surviving Music Hall 1857-1938 Glasgow
Operating as usual
01/02/2023
Coming up on Friday 17th at 7pm we have the Panopticon Comedy Club hosted by John Carruthers with a fantastic lineup at the very venue that Stan Laurel made his comedic debut!
Tickets are only £5!
We also have a bar with a selection of drinks and hot drinks!
Dress warmly 🧣❄️
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-panopticon-comedy-club-tickets-523058450907
30/01/2023
The Drag-Opticon Show : Down with Love
Hmmm wonder who it is ? 🤔
Pop along to The Drag-Opticon Show : Down with Love to find out first
The Drag-Opticon returns with Down with love . A drag cabaret show in the worlds oldest surviving music hall
29/01/2023
What a brilliant evening! Huge thank you to the performers and to our fantastic audience we had an excellent turnout for our Burns Night celebrations!
🎉🏴🥃
27/01/2023
25/01/2023
Photos from our New Year Special Comedy Club!
Thank you to our wonderful acts, Bruce Fummey headlining, with Kavita Bhardwaj, John Carruthers, Amelia, Finoolah Finoolah, and Liam Dolan! and to all our guests!
Comedy Club returns next month 17th Feb.
Get your tickets at :
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/523058450907
25/01/2023
EASTER HAMPER RAFFLE
Following the success of our Christmas Hamper Raffle we are doing it all again for Easter .
We have a fabulous easter basket filled with easter treats plus Dragged Tae The Steamie Merchandise .
Tickets are £1 each and available in person at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall during events or online at dragsteamie.com/shop ( in multiples of 5)
Proceeds from this raffle will go towards to ongoing operation of The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall and the costs of touring Dragged Tae The Steamie in 2023 .
21/01/2023
Following the world premier in our venue last year we are sending Dragged tae The Steamie out on tour .
Advertising space is now available .
Proceeds from this production will go towards the continued operation of the music hall and charity
ADVERTISE WITH US !
Do you want to advertise your organisation in our 2023 summer tour ?
Well here is your chance .
Our advertising spaces are now for sale .
Within our A4 Souvenir programme you can have a full (£150), half (£100)or quarter (£60)page advert which will be seen by our audiences in over 15 venues across Scotland including :
EAST KILBRIDE
OBAN
DUNNOON
KILMARNOCK
JOHNSTONE
INNERLEITHEN
BRECHIN
ABERDEEN
DUNDEE
GREENOCK
RUTHERGLEN
GOVAN, GLASGOW
MELROSE
GRANGEMOUTH
DUNFERMLINE
Just want to advertise in 1 location(£50) or think your business should be seen on stage we also have our Advertising screens which appear either on stage or in foyer of our venues
- Adverting screen space on full tour (£200)
Is it a special occasion or are you coming to the show with a special person and want to give them a memory they will cherish forever with a message / dedication in our programme then let them be TALK O THE STEAMIE with a message or dedication (£25)
To book your space or for more information please email [email protected]
Discounts available for charities / community groups and also for cross promotional activities .
20/01/2023
Tonight it's comedy club and we have had an amazing night. Fantastic acts, amazing audience, Bruce Fummey was superb, but John Carruthers took off his shirt! It's -2 in here!
20/01/2023
Our first show of the year and we are almost at full capacity! 🌟❤️
Panopticon Comedy Club -New Year Special with the fantastic Bruce Fummey headlining, with Kavita Bhardwaj, John Carruthers, Amelia, Finoolah Finoolah, and Liam Dolan!
20/01/2023
Second-hand Rose is excited to announce that Curvy Cogs will be selling at our Second-hand sales on the 18th & 25th February! Check out Curvy Cogs at:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083785863474
Tables are still available at £15! Have a clear-out and make some money! Ping us a message if you want one.
18/01/2023
You spend, brands donate to Friends Of Britannia Panopticon Music Hall.
Welcome and thank you to our new supporters for signing up to support us by shopping online through easyfundraising, it really makes a difference.
Please sign up too, it's easy and completely FREE! 7,400 brands will donate to us when you do your usual online shopping with them - at no extra cost to you!
Help us when you shop with 7,000+ brands. Join now.
17/01/2023
Have something to sell?
17/01/2023
You spend, brands donate to Friends Of Britannia Panopticon Music Hall.
Help us get 2023 off to a great start for Friends Of Britannia Panopticon Music Hall by signing up to support us for FREE on . You can raise donations whenever you shop online with over 7,000 brands including John Lewis & Partners, eBay, Argos, M&S and more. Plus, once you've raised your first £5, easyfundraising will double it! Sign up today - it will make a BIG difference to us this year:
Help us when you shop with 7,000+ brands. Join now.
13/01/2023
Join us next week on the 20th Jan at 7pm for a brilliant evening of comedy at the Panopticon Comedy Club -New Year Special! Kavita has a fantastic lineup for you. We have Perthshire based comedian Bruce Fummey. Bruce is a headline Scottish act and sell out festival performer. His shows have been several times nominated for best show Edinburgh Fringe at the Scottish Comedy Awards.
Get your tickets from the link below! 🌟
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-panopticon-comedy-club-new-year-special-tickets-477276034467
More guests to be announced!
Money raised goes towards the upkeep of the world's oldest music hall where Stan Laurel made his comedic debut!!!
11/01/2023
Our first performer announcement for Burns Night at the panopticon is the incredible swing/jazz band 'The Figaro Trio'. They'll be performing a fantastic lineup of classic Scottish songs and much more to get you in the celebratory spirit! 👯🥃
Tickets are selling fast and can be purchased from the link below!
Come and join us on Jan 27th 7pm for a brilliant evening of music, poetry, comedy and whisky as we celebrate Scotland's favourite poet - Robert Burns!
Don't forget to dress warmly.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/burns-night-at-the-panopticon-tickets-479853684287
11/01/2023
Britannia Panopticon
If you're looking for something to listen to for half an hour, check out this podcast if me chatting away with Michele from Jasami publishing. Part two coming soon.
Michèle visits the The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall and chats with Judith Bowers who is working on conserving the Music Hall. Live stage performances, donations, hire the music hall. https://www.britanniapanopticon.org/ [https://www.britanniapanopticon.org/] https://www.britanniapanopticon.org.....
06/01/2023
Amazing lineup for our New Year special Panopticon Comedy Club! https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-panopticon-comedy-club-new-year-special-tickets-477276034467 Remember to dress extra warmly as we are so sustainable we don't have heating.
02/01/2023
Pip really wants to be a comedian at the Panopticon Comedy Club, but she's only 7. So we're posting her joke instead. Great line up for our New Year special on the 20th January https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-panopticon-comedy-club-new-year-special-tickets-477276034467 dress code: super warm as we don't have heating.
02/01/2023
We hope everyone had a fantastic start to the new year!🥳
This Month we have two brilliant shows to look out for! Don't miss them!
20th January 7pm The Panopticon Comedy Club *New Years' Special.
27th January 7pm Burns Night at the Panopticon.
All money raised goes towards the upkeep of the world's oldest surviving music hall.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/477276034467
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/479853684287
31/12/2022
Happy New Year to all of our friends and followers! We look forward to seeing you in 2023. Have a safe and wonderful evening. From us all at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall
30/12/2022
Pepe doesn't care how cold it is, he just wants to be a comedian at the Panopticon Comedy Club. https://fb.me/e/2p9w4BP0c
26/12/2022
It's Boxing Day and we thought we would add an extra cracker joke to chase away the post Christmas blues. Thank you Nomi Devine.
18/12/2022
It's the last pantomime of 2022 in The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall this evening. If you are joining us, please dress extra warmly as it is literally colder inside!
18/12/2022
GIVE THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER WITH PALS THIS CHRISTMAS
Following a sold out run in 2022 Dragged Tae The Steamie is dragging itself across Scotland for a Summer Tour in 2023 and is coming to a venue near you and we are offering a special Christmas and Hogmanay discount so you can bring all yer pals at selected venues .
28th June : The Corran Halls , Oban - TICKETS ON SALE NOW
29th June : Queens Hall Dunoon - TICKETS ON SALE NOW
5th July : Johnstone Town Hall TICKETS ON SALE NOW
7th July : Brechin City Hall - TICKETS ON SALE NOW
13th July : Greenock Town Hall - TICKETS ON SALE NOW
19th July : Pearce Institute , Govan - TICKETS ON SALE NOW
( If your venue is not included on the list and you buy tickets during this period send us a screenshot of your confirmation and you will be sent a voucher for a Dragged Tae The Steamie Goody Bag when you come to the show )
Dragged Tae The Steamie is the official authorised Drag adaptation of The Steamie by Tony Roper with Songs by Dave Anderson with the characters portrayed by actors in drag .
Join Mrs Culfeathers , Magrit , Doreen , Dolly and Andy on Hogmanay 1953 as they laugh talk and cry doing the final wash of the year in a Glasgow public washhouse .
.
The Casting for the 2023 tour is to be announced but currently confirmed are Auntie Effie , Sally Starshine , Nomi Divine , Dorothy Paul , Lisa Le Grove & Margaret Woods
Please Note that Dorothy Paul , Lisa Le Grove and Margaret Woods do NOT appear in person at all venues and appear only as an Audio Visual recording .
‘ If you want to come and see me get DRAGGED TAE THE STEAMIE’
use discount code HOGMANAY to get 10% off before 1st January
Tickets can be found at : www.dragsteamie.com/tickets
17/12/2022
Our fabulous Aladdin Panto cast! What a fantastic time it's been 🌟
This is the last weekend of the show with very limited seats left!
17th Dec 2pm https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/panto-2022-aladdin-tickets-217732462657
18th Dec 6pm - adults only
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/2022-aladdin-after-dark-adults-only-extra-show-tickets-444046052697
13/12/2022
Check out our shop for some fantastic last minute Christmas presents! https://www.redbubble.com/people/britpanopticon/shop
13/12/2022
Day 13 of our Advent calendar is running late and will be with you at 12.05pm today. Sorry about the delay, I accidentally scheduled it for 9pm instead of 9am. Woops. Here's an extra joke to compensate:
Q. What do you call a child who doesn't believe in Santa?
A. A rebel without a Claus.
11/12/2022
Our final anecdote for the year comes from the Quiz Album for 1882 and takes us behind the scenes of Pantomime. Merry Christmas!
11/12/2022
It's Day 11 of Advent and Lawrence and Gilbert want to share this joke with you.
10/12/2022
I just wanted to remind anyone coming to the pantomime today to dress extra warmly. It's freezing!
07/12/2022
MATT JONES as ABANAZER in Aladdin: Panto-opticon 2022
9th -18th December
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/panto-2022-aladdin-tickets-217732462657
04/12/2022
This weeks anecdote is from The Quiz Dramatic Album, 1883, an illustrated magazine which is a great resource for funny tales and pithy commentary of the time. This particular piece is about the pantomime, Aladdin. Which, coincidentally (actually, it's no coincidence) is the Panopticon Panto this year. If you want to come and see it you can book your tickets at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/panto-2022-aladdin-tickets-217732462657
03/12/2022
Following the SELL OUT success of our 2022 run and rave reviews from our audience members we are delighted to announce that in summer 2023 Dragged tae The Steamie is going on Tour in aid of The Friends of The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall Trust (SCIO) for tickets and info visit : www.dragsteamie.com/tickets
Get DRAGGED TAE THE STEAMIE across Scotland .
We are delighted to announce our first round of tour dates for Dragged Tae The Steamie : Scottish Tour 2023 .
28th June : The Corran Halls , Oban - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dragged-tae-the-steamie-corran-halls-tickets-474010948507
29th June : Queens Hall Dunoon - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dragged-tae-the-steamie-queens-hall-tickets-475893940587
30th June : Palace Theatre, Kilmarnock TICKETS ON SALE SOON
1st July : Palace Theatre, Kilmarnock TICKETS ON SALE SOON
5th July : Johnstone Town Hall - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dragged-tae-the-steamie-johnstone-town-hall-tickets-473264606177
7th July : Brechin City Hall - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dragged-tae-the-steamie-brechin-city-halls-tickets-473286180707
8th July : Tivoli Thetare , Aberdeen - https://www.aberdeenperformingarts.com/whats-on/dragged-tae-the-steamie/book/602402/
11th July : Gardyne Theatre , Dundee - TICKETS ON SALE SOON
13th July : Greenock Town Hall , Greenock -https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/479498943247
19th July : Pearce Institute , Govan - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dragged-tae-the-steamie-pearce-institute-tickets-478152495987
21st July : Grangemouth Town Hall - TICKETS ON SALE SOON
22nd July : Carnegie Hall , Dunfermline - TICKETS ON SALE SOON
Plus more venues to be announced in the Coming months
01/12/2022
The Figiro Trio is supporting Festive Friends who brings a bit of joy to those alone during the holidays.. Through the Inverclyde Chamber of Commerce Festival of Trees at Cardwell Garden Centre you can pop in and vote for Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, or bid early and often on Sunday 4th Dec for the tree together with a vintage Peanuts Music Box.
https://inverclydechamber.co.uk/inverclyde-chambers-festival-of-trees/
01/12/2022
Christmas is coming and the bills are getting bad,
So for every day of advent we're posting a joke that's mad,
Each one is worse than the one the day before,
But at least you'll have a laugh to share with all that you adore.
Joke one is at nine o'clock tomorrow in the morning,
If you groan, you cannot moan that you haven't had due warning.
30/11/2022
Christmas is coming and the bills are getting bad,
So for every day of advent we're posting a joke that's mad,
Each one is worse than the one the day before,
But at least you'll have a laugh to share with all that you adore.
Joke one is at nine o'clock tomorrow in the morning,
If you groan, you cannot moan that you haven't had due warning.
27/11/2022
Photos from Fundraiser show, Music Through the Ages! 🤩
27/11/2022
Today's video is about the Alston Theatre, one of the first built in, well almost in Glasgow, it was actually built in Grahamston. Back in the 1700's the village of Grahamston was west of the city boundary. Today the village is buried underneath Central Station. How times have changed. We thoroughly recommend doing the Central Station tour to discover more of its secrets.
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Videos
Curtain call and standing ovation for our cast of Dragged tae The Steamie, the only official drag version of Tony Roper’s “The Steamie”. We had a completely sold out 5-day run and, due to popular demand, have added an extra date on 7th October. Tickets are £25, link is at bottom of post to buy tickets. Thanks to all of our customers who came along and supported the show and our amazing building. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dragged-tae-the-steamie-extended-run-tickets-413320441567?aff=erelexpmlt
Meet Odin, the new The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall performing dog!
Wednesday 7th of September at 7pm Gladstone's Bag presents Harold Lloyd's classic silent feature film 'Speedy' with a live musical orchestra! Don't miss it! ✨🌟🎻🎬 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/speedy-1928-silent-movies-with-live-music-tickets-390960241607?aff=ebdsoporgprofile
Don't forget, tonight it's silent films and each one is a comedy classic. Live music will be performed by Gladstone's Bag. Here's a wee clip from Billy Blazes, a parody of westerns starring Harold Lloyd. Tickets are available from silentcomedyclassics.eventbrite.co.uk
John Bunny at Kitty
Here's another little snippet from tomorrow nights silent films with live music by Gladstone's Bag. This is John Bunny in drag as Kitty Tickets available at silentcomedyclassics.eventbrite.co.uk
Tomorrow its silent film night with live music performed by Gladstone's Bag. Here's a clip from Buster Keaton's Cops. Some tickets still available from silentcomedyclassics.eventbrite.co.uk
Lucky Dog Theatre Productions presents...
Today the Sons of the Desert (official Laurel and Hardy fanclub) from around the world descended upon our old music hall. It was a fantastic day and they raised another £400 for the Panopticon. They were also entertained by the wonderful Lucky Dog Theatre Productions with a short show about "the boys". Here's a wee clip. To find out more about Lucky Dog you can follow them on Twitter LuckyDogTP
Laurel and Hardy
We love Laurel and Hardy, what's your favourite scene? We're happy to announce that 'The Sons of the Desert' will be returning on the 6th of April 7pm with another fine collection of Laurel and Hardy features. Don't miss it! Free to get in but please leave a donation if you can?
Did you miss the General today in Panopticon? Next silent film with live band is Metropolis 4th May 7pm
I have been going through some of the old hard drives and have come across some old videos. Though not quite Victorian, this video shows Judith Bowers performing with her Hallelujah Sister, Gypsy Charms. Shake your tambourine! By the way, Judith is celebrating 25 years of campaigning for Britannia Panopticon and you can show your support by donating to https://www.gofundme.com/f/britannia-panopticon-campaign-silver-jubilee?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1
Witch market today until 5pm.
Update
The tragic tale of Mary Ann Bevan
Mary Ann Bevan was once titled the ugliest woman on earth. Here's her tale in 49 seconds. Thanks John!
PANTO RETURNS TO THE WORLDS OLDEST SURVIVING MUSIC HALL The evil giant Blunderbore is terrorising the poor village of Skint upon the Brew in the Kingdom of Panoptica. Can a poor farm boy named Jack save the village and the beautiful princess Jill from the giant Blunderbore and his glamorous assistant Demon Moonshade with the help of newly graduated Fairy Divine? Will her father King Carracacus ever allow her to marry for love and not money? Will Jack’s Brother Wee Willie be able to survive their mothers cooking? And what secret is Dame Trott hiding? Find out out this Christmas as The Britannia Panopticon in association with The Vesta Girls present this Giant of a Pantomime! Starring: SALLY STARSHINE as DEMON MOONSHADE NOMI DIVINE as FAIRY DIVINE AUNTIE EFFIE as DAME TROTT Tickets available from www.universe.com/panto21 ( Please note that your ticket is for the event and does not guarantee the appearance of any specific cast member - we will advertise any change to cast on our social media and reschedule your ticket where possible in order to see that cast member.) PLEASE NOTE AS AN ONGOING CONSERVATION PROJECT THE VENUE DOES NOT CURRENTLY HAVE HEATING AND PATRONS ARE ADVISED TO WRAP UP WARM .
Panto returns to the Panopticon Following the postponement of our 2020 Pantomine due to the Covid-19 pandemic The Friends of The Britannia Panmopticon Music Hall Trust ( SCIO) and The VESTA Girls are delighted to announce that Jack and The Beanstalk will return to The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall for Christmas 2021 from 11th December along with our adults only event Jack Off The Beanstalk on 16th December . The pantomime is once again produced by Scotlands Premier Theatrical Drag Troupe - The VESTA Girls and stars Sally Starshine and Auntie Effie who have appeared every year since we relaunched panto in 2016 alongside the family panto debut of Nomi Divine who previously played Cinderella in our Adults only version of Cinderella in 2019 although her ‘manager’ has appeared in each of our pantos since 2018 in some form or another . Jack and The Beanstalk will also see thereturn of Matt Jones who played the king and prince in Sleeping Beauty , this time as comic lead . Fairy Divine ( Nomi Divine ) has recently graduated from fairy school and has been tasked with saving the village of Skint upon the Brew in the land of Panoptica from the evil giant Blunderbore and his nasty assistant Demon Moonshade ( Sally Starshine ) who have been terrorising the village . If only she had The Wand of Vesta which legend says will defeat a giant but it has been lost for many years so instead she must enlist the help of a boy who is strong and true - Jack Trott . Although that means having to deal with his mother Dame Euphemia Trott ( Auntie Effie) . Can Fairy Divine save the village ? How Evil is Demon Moonshade ? Will The King let Jack marry Princess Jill ? and will Effie ever stop mentioning that she was named as one of Scotland’s finest panto dames in The Scotsman? Find out This Christmas at this Giant of a pantomime . Saturday 11th / 18th Dec - 2pm and 7pm Sunday 12th / 19th Dec - 2pm Tickets : Child : £5 Adult : £10 Group rate : £8 Available from www.univer
While cleaning out the technical room at the Britannia Panopticon, I had a sudden urge to recite Albert and the Lion for your entertainment.
Category
Our Story
Britannia Panopticon began life in the late 1850s when Glasgow was bursting at the seams with humanity. Thousands of workers had flocked to the city to work in the mills, factories, foundries, shipyards and collieries. They lived in the worst conditions imaginable; single ends* housed one third of the population, lodging houses where they crammed eight to a bed were available for those who couldn’t afford a single end and if you couldn’t afford a sliver of bed space then the penny line** was a slightly better option than the poorhouses and workhouses.
The social and working conditions of the workers of this industrial empire were not so much intangible as unimaginable to us today; men, women and children toiled in the most atrocious and dangerous conditions, the stench of the sewers, the thick smoke that belched from the factories and mills and made the air thick and foul to breathe, the lack of indoor and outdoor plumbing etc. would be insufferable to our modern and delicate dispositions – only the strongest survived.
The audience of the Britannia Music Hall (as it was originally known) comprised 1500 of these people, who would cram into the small auditorium four times a day, squeezing up cheek to cheek (so to speak) on the rough wooden benches that served as seating for those who could afford it. Those who couldn’t got to stand at the sides and back of the hall. Where-ever they sat and whoever they were, they all came for the same reason, to be entertained, blow off steam, have a laugh (usually at the expense of the act on stage if they weren’t up to muster) and escape from their difficult lives. But this was an audience that had for generations cut its teeth on the barbarous practice of public punishments and executions, which in Glasgow had been the only form of legitimate entertainment from the 1550s to the 1750s. Consequently the Glasgow audience evolved over the generations into a merciless mob who literally left no turn un-stoned. In Britannia Music Hall the turns (acts) could find themselves pelted with Shipyard rivets, nails, rancid turnips and horse manure, whilst urine might rain down on them from the balcony. However, if the turn appealed to the Britannia’s audience, they would be rewarded with thunderous applause and foot-stamping instead.
In the early days the bill of fare offered a diet of dancing girls, comic singers and ballad singers***,the dancing girls being a particularly strong draw for the men who (ordinarily starved of the sight of female flesh) would whoop and whistle their appreciation at the sight of the dancing girls’ stocking tops. This titillation meant that the ever resourceful prostitutes who inhabited the Trongate found themselves a brisk trade in the Britannia Music Hall where hundreds of fly buttons still survive as evidence of their booming business.
This b***y behaviour became synonymous with the music halls of Glasgow’s east end and by the 1860s had become a subject of great concern amongst certain worthies of the city who believed that the nudity to be seen in the music halls was a major contributor to the moral decay of the east end working classes. The flash of a dancing girls’ thigh so outraged one pious gentleman he suggested that “No leg of mutton should be hung in a butcher’s window without being properly dressed”.
To ensure the moral well being of the public, police were thereafter instructed to include a walk around the various music halls of the city as part of their daily beat and this certainly prompted a clean up of the music halls, though one critic did state that whilst the police were in, the material was toned down, but as soon as they left would revert to the more popular ribald humour.
In Britannia it seems that a new management, under the husband and wife team of Mr & Mrs Rossborough, brought with it a new bill which included child performers, acrobats, high wire and trapeze artistes and animal acts; it also included a caveat at the bottom which stated, “No ladies admitted unless accompanied by gentlemen” in an effort to eradicate the ladies of the night who had been plying their wares in the dark corners of the balcony.
Under the management of Mr & Mrs Rossborough the Britannia Music Hall flourished. They gave the auditorium and foyer a facelift which the Glasgow Sentinel newspaper described as being “...painted with very great taste indeed....everywhere displays great artistic taste... The roof of the Hall has been, along with other parts, redecorated, and presents quite an elegant appearance. Boldly panelled and painted in accordance with the mouldings that cross it, the roof of the Britannia, lighted up by many chandeliers, has really a splendid effect. The front of the galleries, the proscenium, the wings of the stage, and all the more prominent points are painted with a due regard to the general effect, and the while presents a coup d’ which must astonish those who are unacquainted with the music halls of Glasgow. The front gallery has been comfortably fitted up with cushioned seats, and affords ample accommodation for the better class of visitors who may desire to visit it with their wives and children. And to complete the Hall for the comfort of those who may desire a series of private boxes at the back of the middle gallery, the decoration and adornment of which give a finish to that portion of the house...”
Britannia was by now one of the most popular places of amusement in the city and the years that followed saw some of the greatest acts of music hall history grace its boards; Marie Loftus, Dan Leno, George Leybourne, The Great Vance, Jenny Hill, Bessie Bellwood, Harry Champion, WF Frame, Marie Lloyd, Harry Lauder and so the list goes on. Many of these names are still remembered today and their songs are still sung from time to time, “The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo”, “I’m Henery the Eighth I Am”, “Champagne Charlie”, “Daisy (Give me your answer do) Bell”, “Boiled Beef and Carrots”, “The Man on the Flying Trapeze”, “My Old Man Said Follow the Van”, “TaRaRaBoumDeay” and “The Boy I love Is Up In The Gallery” to name but a few. It makes you wonder what songs people one hundred years from now will remember from the early 21st Century? Will the songs of the P***y Cat Dolls and Britney Spears be remembered by following generations?
But songs are not the only legacy of the music hall. As the years progressed, so did technology and the music halls were quick to take advantage of new advancements. When in 1896 electricity became widely available in Glasgow, Britannia Music Hall was amongst the first 300 buildings of the city to have it wired in, enabling the management to show the latest marvel of the era; Animated Pictures. At the time most of the world of show business regarded the Animated Picture as a novelty act that would have a short burst of popularity before being replaced and forgotten in light of some new innovation. Subsequently the initial engagement of the animated picture was for just one week.That one week proved such an enormous success that by January of 1897 the animated picture had become a regular feature on the programme. Now Britannia stood on the threshold of the most successful entertainment the world would ever know – Cinema.
Electricity also afforded the audience an opportunity to see another marvel of the age, Dr Walford Bodie M.D. who used electricity to astounding affect. Assisted by the lovely “La Belle Electra”he would connect himself to huge electrical coils which buzzed and hummed with flashes of blue lightning when Electra threw the switch. He would stand with his arms dramatically thrust up into the air,teeth gritted, head flung back and his body tensed as thousands of volts of electricity coursed through him. His fingertips crackled with blue lightning. Volunteers were selected from the audience to stand on the stage next to the electrifying Bodie, and their hair would stand up on end with static charge – which of course looked very comical indeed. Next Electra would invite a courting couple on the stage and ask them to kiss. The couple would hesitantly approach each other, but as their lips drew closer, electric sparks would pass between them preventing the pouting lips from touching. The audience loved it.
As much as Britannia Music Hall tried to move with the times, it was now heralded as the oldest place of amusement in Glasgow and in the dawn’s light of a new century, it looked old and tired. With the new Century came new buildings and across the city new variety theatres began to appear, replacing the now elderly music halls. By 1905 people were flocking to these sparkling new palaces of entertainment like the Pavilion, Coliseum and Kings Theatre, and Britannia closed – for a while anyway as the owner, James Anderson, reviewed his options and considered a way to bring the audiences back.
The solution came to Anderson in the form of his neighbour, A. E. Pickard, a young lad from Bradford in Yorkshire who was having some success revitalising the fortunes of the old Fell’s Waxwork Museum two doors down. Pickard jumped at the opportunity to expand his showmanship into the old Britannia and in January of 1906 he moved in. For several months the front doors of the old music hall stayed closed to the public as workmen marched in and out carrying strange boxes and crates and enormous potted palms, but strangely very little seemed to come back out. What was this young Yorkshire lad who modelled himself on the great American showman, P. T. Barnum, up to? When, in May 1906, Pickard finally reopened the doors of the Britannia Music Hall, the curious population of the east end flooded in, streaming up the stairs to the auditorium where it appeared very little had changed, other than the addition of a pair of staircases which carried the public up to a floor in the attic above the auditorium. This attic space had been turned into a carnival complete with seventeen different games including Love in a Tub, Aunt Sallies, Hook ‘Em Up, Bogie Men, Pipe Breakers, Coconut Shies, Electric rifle ranges, fortunetelling machines and hooplas. Interspersed between them and around the edges of the room was a collection of the most popular characters of the day represented in wax.These included the British Royal family and the latest person to be executed at the Duke Street Prison (this exhibit was changed frequently).In addition a series of small rooms contained various characters from the worlds smallest man, to the worlds tallest man, Sleeping Beauty, a leprechaun and numerous others who would entertain the gawping public.
Pickard further extended the variety of entertainments to be found in the building by converting the basement into a zoo which he advertised as “Noah’s Ark,” and declared that it was the first time that the term had been used to describe a collection of animals since the biblical days of Noah. Perhaps he thought this reference to Noah would capture the public’s interest. It certainly seemed to work as they swarmed through the basement menagerie where, in addition to an assortment of birds, reptiles, monkeys and a bear, distorting mirrors, paintings by Hogarth and medieval etchings of Chinese torture could also be viewed.
All this entertainment under the one roof brought the in public in droves, but the building was no longer called Britannia Music Hall, it was now advertised as The Grand Panopticon which is a name derived from the Greek terms Pan meaning “everything” and Opti meaning “to see”. However - it was a name that no-one in Glasgow could remember, spell or pronounce - so locally it became known as The Pots and Pans.
Soon after the reopening of the Britannia in its new guise as the Panopticon, a young man aged sixteen approached the Yorkshire show man and asked him if he might have a chance to perform on the stage. When Pickard asked the boy, “Why?” the lad apparently replied “Because I’m Funny” and that was enough to secure him a slot on that coming Friday’s amateur night. His name was Arthur Stanley Jefferson and his first joke went something like this “Did you hear the one about the two butterflies? One butterfly said to the other butterfly, “I am bothered, I am bothered”.”Why’s that then?” said the other butterfly. “Because I couldn’t go to the dance.”said the first butterfly. “Why ever not?” asked the second “Because it was a moth ball.”
That young lad could not have dreamed where that first joke would lead him, but the world still knows him today as that young lad was Stan Laurel, one half of that famous comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. A. E. Pickard was always proud of the break he gave that young lad and Stan never forgot it either and revisited Pickard some years later in the 1930s.
As the Panopticon, Britannia found a new lease of life and survived the First World War, the twenties and the depression of the 30’s, but by 1938, after entertaining Glasgow for 81 years the Panopticon found that it could no longer compete with a new form of entertainment palace, the Art Deco Cinema. With 130 cinemas in Glasgow competing for the same business, including a few that Pickard owned himself, he decided to close the Panopticon and sold it to a firm of Tailors called Weaver to Wearer. Weaver to Wearer removed the entrance to the music hall and turned the ground floor of the building (which for most of the music hall’s history had been a public house) into a shop and converted the music hall on the first floor level into a workshop, hiding the balcony and upper auditorium behind a lath and plaster suspended ceiling. The balcony was left untouched and uninhabited (save for the chickens that lived there when it was used as a chicken farm during WW2) until 1997 when I first managed to get a glimpse of the auditorium above the modern shop floor. I was stunned to discover that it remained almost untouched, as if the last audience had only just left.
Since my first encounter, much has changed; there is now a charitable trust which has been established to help preserve the Britannia Panopticon, a Friends organisation which costs £20 a year to join and a team of volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure that the old music hall can remain open. The false ceiling which once hid the balcony has gone and music hall songs once again fill the hall – but we have a long way to go before Britannia Panopticon can be regarded as fully preserved and safe for future generations to enjoy as a living museum of music hall and Victorian/ Edwardian popular entertainments.
For more about the history of Britannia Panopticon look out for my book 'Glasgow's Lost Theatre - The Story of the Britannia Music Hall'.
* A single end was accommodation in which the sleeping, living and cooking areas were contained in the one single room.
** A Penny Line was a washing line – sometimes also referred to as the penny lean - which would hold the sleeper up by the oxters until the line was untied the following morning.
*** Irish songs were a particular favourite as much of the audience had come from Ireland during the potato famine of the 1840’s and they loved to hear Irish airs and reminisce about the Emerald Isle.
Nearby museums
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Osborne Street
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Albion Street
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Royal Exchange Square
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Mitchell Lane
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Glasgow Green
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St Mungo Museum of Religious Life & Art
Castle Street -
West Regent Street
Other Community Museums in Glasgow
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Glasgow Museums Resource Centre
Glasgow Museums Resource Centre 200 Woodhead Road -
The Royal Highland Fusiliers Museum
Sauchiehall Street
Comments
Join Auntie Effie and friends for Drag-Opticon the monthly live drag show at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall which showcases the best of the Glasgow Drag scene!
Don't miss a special screening of the influential German science-fiction film Metropolis at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall featuring live music and sound effects from Gladstone's Bag!
Catch a phenomenal night of comedy with a dazzling array of acts including comedy singers who get the crowd involved and a well-known headliner at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall!
I was a very recent visitor to the Theatre and what a wonder it was! Such an amazing hidden gem in the city.
And of course I just had to have a picture taken of my ‘dramatic pose’ on the stage which has been walked on by so many amazing entertainers. A ‘must visit’ next time you’re in Glasgow.
And of course I just had to have a picture taken of my ‘dramatic pose’ on the stage which has been walked on by so many amazing entertainers. A ‘must visit’ next time you’re in Glasgow.
The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall's Laurel and Hardy Movie Night returns with a selection of three classic films!
The Big Variety at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall is an all new and inclusive monthly live cabaret show... don't miss it on the Friday 8th April!
Join Alana Duvey, Dharma Geddon and friends for Drag-Opticon the monthly live drag show at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall which showcases the best of the Glasgow Drag scene!
Vance Alexander captures Tommy Cooper's style in this remarkable tribute to a much loved star at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall on March 18th as part of Glasgow International Comedy Festival!
The sheepish guitarist 🎼🎶
A wee pre-show portrait by my pal Debbie McCall at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall last Saturday 💜😊💜
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Rep'd by Rogue Model Management
A wee pre-show portrait by my pal Debbie McCall at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall last Saturday 💜😊💜
📸
Rep'd by Rogue Model Management
A live poetry competition to decide the Scottish Slam Champion of 2022 is being held at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall on Saturday 12th March!
My next show is the Comedy Club this Saturday night at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall 😍 Come along for a good laugh!
Join Alana Duvey, Dharma Geddon and friends for Drag-Opticon the monthly live drag show at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall which showcases the best of the Glasgow Drag scene!