The West Cliff Theatre in Clacton-on-Sea, England, dates back to 1894 when Bert Graham, a 21-year-old civil servant, set up a concert party on a patch of waste ground in Agate Road. In 1899, along with Bernard Russell and Will Bentley, Graham moved the concert party to the West Cliff Gardens. Bernard Russell died in 1910, but Graham and Bentley continued the concert party. In 1912 they signed up a new romantic baritone by the name of Stanley Holloway. He stayed with the company for three years.
In 1928, Graham and Bentley built a new theatre on the site of their concert party, the theatre which still stands in Clacton-on-Sea today as the West Cliff Theatre. In 1934, Graham and Bentley sold the theatre and it was bought by Will Hammer, who already owned several seaside theatres. In 1934 he also founded the film company Hammer Film Productions, which was later to gain worldwide fame as the producer of many horror films.
Will Hammer died in 1957 and there was much doubt over whether the theatre would continue. Eventually, Clacton Council bought the theatre and continued to put on shows.
In 1985, a local group of theatre enthusiasts took over the day-to-day running of the theatre and in 1995 bought the freehold of the theatre from the council. The West Cliff (Tendring) Trust is now solely responsible for putting on the shows at the theatre and still maintain the tradition of putting on a summer show.
Folkestone is a coastal town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour, shipping port, and fashionable coastal resort for most of the 19th and mid-20th centuries.
Bernard Bresslaw was an English actor and comedian. He was best known as a member of the Carry On film franchise. Bresslaw also worked on television and stage, performed recordings and wrote a series of poetry.
Stanley Augustus Holloway was an English actor, comedian, singer and monologist. He was famous for his comic and character roles on stage and screen, especially that of Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady. He was also renowned for his comic monologues and songs, which he performed and recorded throughout most of his 70-year career.
Clacton-on-Sea, often simply called Clacton, is a seaside town and resort in the county of Essex, on the east coast of England. It is located on the Tendring Peninsula and is the largest settlement in the Tendring District, with a population of 53,200 (2021). The town is situated around 77 miles northeast of London, 40 mi (65 km) east-northeast of Chelmsford, 58 mi (93 km) northeast of Southend-on-Sea, 16 mi (26 km) southeast of Colchester and 16 mi (26 km) south of Harwich.
Walton-on-the-Naze is a seaside town on the North Sea coast. It is part of the parish of Frinton and Walton, in the Tendring district in Essex, England. The town is located north of Clacton and south of the port of Harwich; Frinton-on-Sea lies to the south of the town. The town has a population of 12,054, according to the 2011 census; in 1931, the parish had a population of 3,071. The town attracts many visitors; The Naze and the pier are the main attractions.
Cliffs Pavilion is a theatre, sports, exhibition and concert venue located on Station Road in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England, a suburb within the city of Southend-on-Sea. It is the largest purpose-built arts venue in Essex, and the largest capacity of any theatre in the East of England. In 2006, the operation of Cliffs Pavilion, along with the Palace Theatre, were handed to HQ Theatres by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council. HQ Theatres merged with Trafalgar Entertainment in 2021. In February 2022, the Cliffs played host to He Built This City concert, a tribute to the murdered MP for Southend West Sir David Amess.
The Palace Theatre is a theatre in Westcliff-on-Sea a suburb in the city of Southend-on-sea in the county of Essex, England. The theatre presents a range of performances, including drama, music and both local and national touring companies.
Bray Film Studios is a British film and television facility in Water Oakley near Bray, Berkshire. It is best known for its association with Hammer Film Productions.
James Smillie,, also credited variously as Jim Smillie and Jim Smilie, is a Scottish/Australian actor. He has worked in both Britain and Australia in film, extensively on stage, on television, with voice-over and animation work.
Clacton is a constituency in Essex represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Nigel Farage of Reform UK. It is centred on the seaside town of Clacton, hence its name.
Harwich and North Essex is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Bernard Jenkin of the Conservative Party since its creation in 2010.
Thorrington is a village and civil parish in the Tendring district of Essex, England. It lies 3 miles (5 km) east of Wivenhoe and 1.9 miles (3 km) north of Brightlingsea. The striking medieval flint church is dedicated to Mary Magdalene, and the patrons of the church are St John's College, Cambridge. In 2011 the parish had a population of 1258.
The Golders Green Hippodrome was built in 1913 by Bertie Crewe as a 3,000-seat music hall, to serve North London and the new London Underground Northern line expansion into Golders Green in the London Borough of Barnet, London, England.
New Theatre Oxford is the main commercial theatre in Oxford, England. It has a capacity of 1,785 people; is on George Street, in the centre of the city; and puts on a wide variety of shows, including musical theatre, stand-up comedy, and concerts.
Johnnie Hamp is a British television producer, now retired. He is responsible for the early British television appearances of such acts as the Beatles, Burt Bacharach, Cannon and Ball, Paul Daniels, comedian Woody Allen and singer Lisa Stansfield as Head of Light Entertainment with Granada Television.
The Winter Gardens is a large entertainment complex in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which includes a theatre, ballroom and conference facilities. Opened in 1878, it is a Grade II* listed building, operated by Blackpool Entertainment Company Limited on behalf of Blackpool Council, which purchased the property from Leisure Parcs Ltd as part of a £40 million deal in 2010.
William Hinds, stage name Will Hammer, was one of the founders of Hammer Film Productions.
Perth Theatre is an entertainment venue in Mill Street, Perth, Scotland. It opened in 1900 and was extended in the 1980s.
Bentley's Oyster Bar and Grill is a seafood restaurant at 11-15 Swallow Street, London, which opened in 1916. The restaurant, previously known as Bentley's, has always specialised in oysters and seafood, and serves classic British dishes under the stewardship of Chef Richard Corrigan.
HMS Crested Eagle was a paddle steamer sunk in the Dunkirk evacuation. J. Samuel White built her in 1925 for the General Steam Navigation Company, and was requisitioned by the Admiralty during the World War II for anti-aircraft duties as part of the Thames Special Service Flotilla.
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