Cardiff Empire

Cardiff Empire was a major entertainment venue in Cardiff, Wales, whose history began with the opening of Levino's Hall on 9 April 1887. The venue was established by Professor Dolph Levino, a showman and performer associated with circus and mesmerism acts. Its programme combined variety entertainment with unusual spectacles, including trained animals and a so-called human farmyard. The original hall could accommodate approximately 1,500 people, with a pit, balcony and six boxes. After several months of operation, the building was altered and redecorated, reopening in November 1887 as Levino's Museum of Varieties. In 1888, the venue was acquired on a long lease by Oswald Stoll and his mother, Adelaide Stoll, who renamed it Empire House of Varieties. Under the Stolls, the hall became part of a more ambitious commercial theatre operation. Stoll later joined H. E. Moss in establishing the Cardiff, Newport, and Swansea Empire Palaces company, which developed Empire venues in several South Wales cities. By the middle of the 1890s, demand had outgrown the original building. The adjacent property was acquired and the Cardiff venue was extensively rebuilt. The redevelopment was designed by Frank Matcham, one of the leading theatre architects of the period. The enlarged building, constructed in red brick and Bath stone, featured a central tower, improved ventilation and a sliding roof. Its capacity rose to about 2,300 spectators, and its design was intended to support two performances each evening. Contemporary descriptions emphasized the building's ventilation and referred to it as one of the coolest theatres in the country. The venue experienced serious fire damage during its history. A relatively limited fire occurred soon after the rebuilt palace opened, but a much more destructive blaze on 31 October 1899 largely destroyed the building. Performers, including Lottie Collins, reported losses of costumes, equipment and other property. Oswald Stoll commissioned another reconstruction from Matcham. The replacement venue reopened on 30 September 1900 and was designed with stronger fire-safety measures, including steel and concrete construction, separation between the stage and auditorium, and asbestos protection around the stage. Its safety features were prominently praised in contemporary reporting. The Empire was rebuilt again in 1915 and continued as a live entertainment venue until 1932. It was then converted into a cinema by Gaumont British Theatres Corporation. The cinema operation continued for several decades, reflecting the broader shift in British popular entertainment from variety theatre toward film exhibition. The building closed in 1961 and was demolished in 1962. It therefore survives as a historical subject rather than an operating theatre brand. The supplied website address has not been associated with the Cardiff building because it appears to refer to a different entity.

The venue that became Cardiff Empire opened as Levino's Hall on 9 April 1887. It was created by Professor Dolph Levino, a performer and showman who had previously presented a circus act in Cardiff. The hall was designed for popular variety entertainment, with space for around 1,500 spectators distributed among a pit, balcony and six boxes. Its opening programme included trained dogs and monkeys, a human-farmyard display and Levino's mesmerism act. Levino also contributed to the decoration of parts of the building. The hall was soon altered and redecorated, reopening in November 1887 as Levino's Museum of Varieties. Its entertainment licensing became contentious when Charles Rodney, proprietor of the nearby Philharmonic Music Hall, challenged the use of music during performances. Rodney alleged that the venue's activities breached its licence, while Levino claimed that people had been hired to disrupt his shows. The legal dispute ended with the case being dismissed on the understanding that subsequent acts would not include singing or dancing. In 1888, Oswald Stoll and his mother, Adelaide, took the venue on a 999-year lease and renamed it Empire House of Varieties. The Stolls developed the site successfully, but by 1895 the original building could no longer meet demand. Stoll and H. E. Moss formed the Cardiff, Newport, and Swansea Empire Palaces company, acquired the adjoining property and commissioned Frank Matcham to design a much larger Cardiff theatre. The new building used red brick and Bath stone, included a central tower and had a capacity of approximately 2,300. A sliding roof and other ventilation measures were intended to improve audience comfort, while the theatre's scale allowed two performances to be scheduled each evening. Fire repeatedly shaped the building's history. A fire during the first month of the enlarged palace caused an evacuation but limited damage. On 31 October 1899, a second fire was far more destructive and left the theatre largely ruined. Performers lost costumes and equipment; Lottie Collins estimated her own loss at £500, while other performers reported smaller losses. Stoll rebuilt the venue once again under Matcham's direction. The replacement opened on 30 September 1900, attended by civic and local business figures. It was constructed with steel and concrete, separated the stage from the auditorium, and used asbestos around the stage as a fire barrier. Contemporary commentary presented the rebuilt venue as unusually safe for public entertainment. The Empire underwent another rebuilding in 1915. It continued as a theatre until 1932, when Gaumont British Theatres Corporation converted it to a cinema. This change reflected the growing importance of film exhibition and the changing economics of large entertainment buildings. The cinema closed in 1961, and the building was demolished in 1962. Cardiff Empire is therefore a defunct historic venue with significance in the development of Cardiff's variety-theatre and cinema culture, rather than an active commercial brand.

• 1962

  Demolition

  [1]Cardiff Empireen.wikipedia.org

  The former theatre and cinema building was demolished.

• 1961

  Closure

  [1]Cardiff Empireen.wikipedia.org

  The cinema ceased operating.

• 1932

  Conversion to cinema

  [1]Cardiff Empireen.wikipedia.org

  Gaumont British Theatres Corporation converted the venue for film exhibition.

• 1915

  Further rebuilding

  [1]Cardiff Empireen.wikipedia.org

  The theatre was rebuilt again while continuing its live-entertainment role.

• 1900

  Rebuilt theatre reopens

  [1]Cardiff Empireen.wikipedia.org

  A more fire-resistant building designed by Matcham reopened on 30 September.

• 1899

  Major fire

  [1]Cardiff Empireen.wikipedia.org

  A fire on 31 October largely destroyed the theatre.

• 1896

  Matcham-designed expansion begins

  [1]Cardiff Empireen.wikipedia.org

  The original hall and adjoining property were redeveloped into a much larger Empire theatre.

• 1888

  Acquired by the Stolls

  [1]Cardiff Empireen.wikipedia.org

  Oswald and Adelaide Stoll took the venue on a long lease and renamed it Empire House of Varieties.

• 1887

  Levino's Hall opens

  [1]Cardiff Empireen.wikipedia.org

  Dolph Levino opened a 1,500-seat variety venue in Cardiff on 9 April.

• 1887

  Reopens as Levino's Museum of Varieties

  [1]Cardiff Empireen.wikipedia.org

  The hall underwent alterations and returned to operation under a new name in November.

A large urban variety and entertainment venue serving Cardiff audiences, later repositioned as a cinema.

• Live entertainment · 1887

  Variety theatre programmes

  The venue's original and principal offering was popular variety entertainment. Programmes combined theatrical presentation with novelty and spectacle, including trained animals, unusual displays, music-related acts and individual performers. Levino's own mesmerism act was part of the opening programme, while later management positioned the enlarged Empire as a substantial urban variety palace capable of presenting two performances in a day.

• Cinema · 1932

  Cinema exhibition

  From 1932, the building operated as a cinema under Gaumont British Theatres Corporation. This represented a change from live variety performance to filmed entertainment and continued the venue's role as a large-scale public entertainment site until its closure in 1961.

• 1932

  Convert the theatre into a cinemaStrategy

  Background

  After decades as a variety theatre, the venue was converted during a period when cinema was becoming a dominant form of mass entertainment.

  Action taken

  Gaumont British Theatres Corporation repurposed the building for film exhibition.

  Aftermath

  The venue continued operating as a cinema until its closure in 1961.

  Source

1. 1Cardiff Empireen.wikipedia.org