The Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England, was built in 1936 as a theatre and cinema. [1] It has a variety of Art Deco features, including original chrome and Bakelite door handles.
Wimborne Minster is a market town in East Dorset in South West England, and the name of the Church of England church in that town. According to Office for National Statistics data the population of the Wimborne Minster built-up area as of 2014 is estimated as 15,552 inhabitants and is situated at the confluence of the River Stour and River Allen, 5 miles (8 km) north of Poole, on the Dorset Heaths. The town is also recognised as part of the South East Dorset conurbation.
Dorset is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the non-metropolitan county, which is governed by Dorset County Council, and the unitary authority areas of Poole and Bournemouth. Covering an area of 2,653 square kilometres (1,024 sq mi), Dorset borders Devon to the west, Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north-east, and Hampshire to the east. The county town is Dorchester which is in the south. After the reorganisation of local government in 1974 the county's border was extended eastward to incorporate the Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch. Around half of the population lives in the South East Dorset conurbation, while the rest of the county is largely rural with a low population density.
Art Deco, sometimes referred to as Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture and design that first appeared in France just before World War I. Art Deco influenced the design of buildings, furniture, jewelry, fashion, cars, movie theatres, trains, ocean liners, and everyday objects such as radios and vacuum cleaners. It took its name, short for Arts Décoratifs, from the Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes held in Paris in 1925. It combined modern styles with fine craftsmanship and rich materials. During its heyday, Art Deco represented luxury, glamour, exuberance, and faith in social and technological progress.
Threatened with demolition in 1979 for a road-building scheme that was later abandoned, [2] the theatre fell into disrepair and closed in April 1980. [1] After lengthy campaigning, volunteers restored the theatre throughout 1993 and it reopened to the public in November of that year.
The theatre has since become a thriving live music venue, playing host to acts including The Searchers, Wishbone Ash, Acker Bilk, American blues artist Larry Garner, who recorded a live album there in October 2009, Charlie Watts and comedians Lee Evans, Al Murray and Eddie Izzard. The theatre also serves as the venue for the Wimborne Musical Theatre and the Wimborne Drama, who stage three productions each year. [3] [4]
The Searchers are an English Merseybeat group, who emerged in the 1960s along with The Beatles, The Hollies, The Fourmost, The Merseybeats, The Swinging Blue Jeans, and Gerry and the Pacemakers.
Wishbone Ash are a British rock band who achieved success in the early and mid-1970s. Their popular albums included Wishbone Ash (1970), Pilgrimage (1971), Argus (1972), Wishbone Four (1973), There's the Rub (1974), and New England (1976). Wishbone Ash are noted for their extensive use of the harmony twin lead guitar format which had been attracting electric blues bands since Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page had played together in the Yardbirds in 1966. Their contributions helped Andy Powell and Ted Turner to be voted "Two of the Ten Most Important Guitarists in Rock History", and to appear in the "Top 20 Guitarists of All Time". Melody Maker (1972) described Powell and Turner as "the most interesting two guitar team since the days when Beck and Page graced The Yardbirds". They have been cited as an influence by Iron Maiden founder and bassist Steve Harris, as well as Thin Lizzy and other dual guitar bands.
Bernard Stanley "Acker" Bilk, was an English clarinettist and vocalist known for his breathy, vibrato-rich, lower-register clarinet style, and distinctive appearance – of goatee, bowler hat and striped waistcoat.
