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Hippodrome

Hippodrome 2002

From a private collection

Hippodrome 2002

From a private collection

A short history, 1901-1965

Brighton Hippodrome in Middle Street, started life as Brighton Ice-Rink in 1897. In 1901 the building was enlarged and converted into a circus by the architect Frank Matcham and renamed the Hippodrome. The following year the Hippodrome underwent another conversion, this time into a variety theatre, which opened on 22 December 1902.

Wholesome entertainment
Under the management of Thomas Barrasford, the Hippodrome prospered, becoming the Brighton's principal variety theatre. The policy followed at the Hippodrome was to offer two evening performances of high quality and respectable entertainment at affordable prices. A desire to attract family audiences made respectability and high standards important at the Hippodrome. As the Brighton Herald noted on the opening night "The entire programme was eminently wholesome in tone".

Famous performers
The Hippodrome played host to many famous performers, including actors, comedians, singers and later, pop stars. Perhaps the most famous was the comedian Max Miller, Brighton's own 'Cheeky Chappie', who regularly performed at the Hippodrome between the 1930s and 1950s. The decline of variety, especially in the years after the Second World War, saw the Hippodrome mount more musicals, concerts and one-off performances by celebrities.

In 1964 pop concerts by both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones played to capacity audiences, but this was not enough to save the Hippodrome as a live performance venue. It closed in 1965, becoming the Mecca Bingo Club in 1967, bringing to an end over one hundred years of music hall and variety theatre in Brighton.

Reproduced with permission from background information available in the history gallery at Brighton Museum

This page was added on 22/03/2006.

Comments about this page

When the Beatles performed in October 1964, they were taken through the garage en route to the venue. So I'm anxious for a photo of the GPO garage in West Street that led out into Middle Street around the 1964 period.

By David Rowland (18/11/2003)

I was in the audience also for the Beatles July and October 1964 - also the Stones. I can still remember Brian Jones' white vox guitar with a mirror on it which reflected the spotlight back into the audience like a WWII seachlight....awesome or what!

By David Deacon (15/03/2005)

I was a policeman in Brighton at this time. The Hippodrome was on my beat (Number 3 Beat). I remember standing outside the Hippodrome when the Beatles were performing inside. My sons are still fans of the Beatles!

By John Lovelace (11/04/2006)

We have now learned that the Mecca Bingo Club is closing from the 8th August 2006 - what happens to The Hippodrome now?

By Graham Maskell (30/07/2006)

We must not allow developers to destroy it, or turn it into flats or an office block.

By Mjka Scott (11/08/2006)

My dad was working at the Hippodrome in '64 and got me in to see The Beatles (I think it was the October show). I was only 10, but a fan since 'Love Me Do' - couldn't see or hear much due to continuous screaming and girls jumping up and down, often fainting and St John's people carting them away. Still one of my best memories though.

By Griff (23/01/2007)

There are strong efforts to re-open it as a live venue and theatre since many productions bypass Brighton due to the lack of a suitable theatre but the Hippodrome has the required space and seating. I'm sure it was bought by a company who owns a number of London venues but nothing has been confirmed at the moment.

By JT (03/02/2007)

The Hippodrome has been sold to the AMG group who own the Carling academy venues in major cities across the UK along with the Shepherds Bush empire in London.
They plan to turn it into a major live music venue.

By Richie (20/02/2007)

Thank goodness that the Hippodrome is to be saved and not sacrificed to the developers who on a moment of madness would tear it down in the name of so called progress.

By John Wignall (06/05/2007)

Fond memories of the Hippodrome. We used to stand behind
the stall seating, leaning on a padded wall, so that we would be first at the bar when it opened at the interval. This would be early 50s. Saw Julie Andrews perform with her Mum and Dad.
Ted and Barbara .

By John Stenhouse (21/01/2009)

As a child, living in Portslade, I remember, with my family, we used to go to the Hippodrome regularly. This was at a time when twice nightly variety was still being offered and I remember that we saw some big names performing there. I can clearly recall Max Miller, Gracie Fields, Jimmy Wheeler, David Ifield, among many others, and even the legendary Librace. The most famous comedy duo, to my mind, ever to appear there were Laurel & Hardy, in the 1950s. Their film career had ended and Bernard Delfont invited them over to England a couple of times to tour the Moss Empires Circuit, of which the Hippodrome was part. I was about 12 at the time of one of the tours but sadly they were one of the attractions that we, for whatever reason, did not go to see. In later years, in the Early 1960's, I worked backstage at the Hippodrome during two consecutive Summer Shows. Variety was virtually finished by then and these were holiday shows featuring big star names and running for the season.During the two shows, I was delighted to meet Max Bygraves, Russ Conway, Alfred Marks, Eddie Gray and, amongst a number of others, Freddie Mills (Sadly very shortly before his tragic death back in London after one of the shows had finished it's run). Just to round the story off, one of the old stage hands had been working there for years and I asked if he remembered Laurel and Hardy when they appeared. I am a big fan of the duo and I was keen to learn anything I could from somebody who had actually seen these living legends in the flesh. "Yes" he said, pointing to the wall where I was standing, "The thin one used to spit behind that radiator". Oh dear!

By John Upton (23/02/2009)

I had the pleasure of a guided tour of the Hippodrome a couple of days ago and I thought that this site which first informed me of the illustrious history of a venue I only knew to be a bingo hall, should share it. The building interior still looks terrific, despite both the venue's closure and the beginnings of work inside it. I got to see the elephant enclosure and the ramped access into the venue which the elephants took - I just love the idea of bringing elephants into a theatre!
Work so far consists of scaffolding all the way around the balcony edge from the auditorium floor and the false balcony frontage (and ceiling) inserted over the stage (and effectively through the proscenium arch) has been completely exposed, providing an easy view to the flies - not to say that there are any, but you can see all the structural beams. The English Heritage listing has required a degree of archeological digging to be carried out. In the north corner the brick footings of one of the main columns have been exposed - no concrete here, just a beautiful arrangement of bricks laid deeply on chalk. The (existing flat) auditorium floor has also been exposed revealing the original raked floor - the orchestra pit is almost within reach! But I do have a few concerns...
Whilst the pedigree of the new owners cannot be doubted, the overall expense of returning this venue to it's former glory coupled with the need to operate at a profit once it's open, suggests a much less certain future. This is undoubtedly a money-pit. There is no current work ongoing and I understand that thanks to the credit crunch, the anticipated August start has already gone back to the end of the year. As the new owners will intend to primarily stage rock shows in the venue, current planning permissions require zealous attention to noise reduction - so the current tin roof needs to be replaced and a new, fully-insulated, wall be inserted between the existing theatre and it's nearest neighbours. And then a much more fundamental question kicks in. Modern rock shows tour with significantly more equipment than The Beatles and The Stones did back in the Sixties. We're talking at least a tour bus and a 40' articulated truck, coming down Ship Street and somehow reversing in... Ship Street? I wish AMG luck in their planned renovations but I fear that the future for the Hippodrome may prove to be more 'rocky' than intended.

By Tim Collins (23/05/2009)

Just spent a week in Brighton from my home in Leicester at the UNISON conference and really enjoyed walking the streets (and lanes) looking at the architecture of Brighton and Hove in the evenings. I came back with a list of things to google including the Hippodrome and the Dubarry factory. I really hope these plans come to fruition when the credit crunch is over.

By John Dewsbury (21/06/2009)

I still remember this marvellous theatre when, as a child, my mother took me in October 1954 to see 'South Pacific', which from memory had most of the London cast. I remember the splendour of the interior and recognised even then that this place was something special. As a child, I loved the theatre's posters which were stuck on walls and hoardings all over Brighton. Why is it not possible for the local authority or some enterprising entrepreneur to buy it, restore it and do what has been done in Southampton with the Mayflower Theatre? The City of Brighton & Hove boasts about being a really 'smart place' to be. Why can it not have the foresight to rennovate a real treasure and not continue to make the same mistakes it has made with the West Pier and some of its other former impressive centres of entertainment?

By Peter (10/12/2009)