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White's Rooms, later known as Adelaide Assembly Room, was a privately owned function centre which opened in 1856 on King William Street, Adelaide, South Australia. It became Garner's Theatre in 1880, then passed through several hands, being known as the Tivoli theatre, Bijou Theatre, Star Picture Theatre and finally in 1916 the Majestic Theatre and Majestic Hotel.
George White (1813 – 12 November 1876) was a Gloucestershire tailor who emigrated with his family to South Australia on the Royal Admiral, arriving in Adelaide in January 1838. He set up a tailoring business in Hindley Street, then took up a position with William Pearce in Rundle Street. Pearce quit the business in May 1843, and White purchased much of his stock, [1] and around 1852 moved to larger premises in King William Street (which later became the public bar of the Clarence Hotel). His Assembly Rooms were opened on 26 June 1856 with a Grand Masonic Ball, [2] and were for many years the only place of public entertainment in the city. Musicians who hired the hall for public concerts included:
James Allison, better known for his association with Samuel Lazar and the Theatre Royal, was in 1877 lessee of the rooms. [3]
In 1878 Thomas Waterhouse purchased the property from George White's estate, and it remained in that family for many decades. [4]
The building at 80–88 King William Street was designed by George Kingston. Its Assembly Room was 41 by 86 feet (12 m × 26 m) with a 30-foot-high (9.1 m) ceiling, [5] and the complex included offices, retail business spaces and an Arbitration Room, where daytime auction sales, meetings, and other gatherings were held, and was co-located with the Clarence Hotel.
The place was remodelled several times to keep abreast of the competition, (one major upgrade was superintended by E. J. Woods) [6]
Below the main hall, founded in 1856 and attached to the Clarence Hotel, was Bayston & Aldridge's restaurant, from November 1858 solely managed by George Aldridge. [7] It was here that John McDouall Stuart was given a grand reception, presided by Sir Dominick Daly, on the evening of 21 January 1863, on his return from crossing the continent from south to north. [8] Then in 1868 Aldridge left to take over the restaurant associated with the new theatre in Hindley Street, and F. W. Lindrum, father of Frederick and Walter Lindrum, took it over, naming it "Shades" or "Adelaide Shades". One of the large underground halls was set up by him as a billiard saloon, the finest in the city.
In 1880 White's Rooms was remodelled by George Gordon to become Garner's Theatre, for entrepreneur Arthur Garner with Wybert Reeve the theatre manager. [9] It was not entirely successful, and the name reverted somewhat to Garner's Rooms. It has been asserted that the change of name was to avoid losing patronage of the Wesleyans, to whom the word "theatre" connoted sin and blasphemy, no matter what the performance may be. [10] In 1884 T. P. Hudson took over the lease, and after more redecoration reopened the theatre as The Bijou. Among its users between 1890 and 1899 were the Garrick Club theatre group and the South Australian Literary Societies' Union.
Harry Rickards became the next proprietor in 1900, demolishing much of the old structure [11] and renaming it The Tivoli. [12] It closed in August 1913 to reopen as the New Tivoli Theatre in Grote Street. Bud Atkinson promptly took over the lease and in September 1913 it became the Star Theatre, a cinema screening a one-hour programme continuously from 11 am to 10.30 pm daily. [13] It closed in November 1915, but was the start of a chain of movie theatres. [14]
In 1916 the building, and the Clarence Hotel, were demolished to become the Majestic Theatre and hotel. [4] In 1928 Sir Benjamin Fuller, John Fuller and Bert Lennon purchased the theatre from the owners A. E. and F. Tolley. [15]
Reports that Adelaide City Council meetings were held there during construction of the Town Hall, are spurious.
George White (1813 – 12 November 1876) married Eliza Baxter (1814 – 16 August 1888) in Gloucestershire on 24 November 1834; with children Charles and Jane emigrated to South Australia on the Royal Admiral, which arrived in South Australia in January 1838.
George was a keen gardener and viticulturist: his vineyard and magnificent formal garden later became the suburb of Rosefield. [17]
King William Street is the part of a major arterial road that traverses the CBD and centre of Adelaide, continuing as King William Road to the north of North Terrace and south of Greenhill Road; between South Terrace and Greenhill Road it is called Peacock Road. At approximately 40 metres (130 ft) wide, King William Street is the widest main street of all the Australian State capital cities. Named after King William IV in 1837, it is historically considered one of Adelaide's high streets, for its focal point of businesses, shops and other prominent establishments. The Glenelg tram line runs along the middle of the street through the city centre.
Hindley Street is located in the north-west quarter of the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It runs between King William Street and West Terrace. The street was named after Charles Hindley, a British parliamentarian and social reformist.
Grote Street is a major street running east to west in the western half of Adelaide city centre, South Australia. It is on the northern border of Chinatown and the Adelaide Central Market, and is a lively centre for shopping and restaurants. The historic Her Majesty's Theatre is located here.
James Henry "Jim" Aldridge was a horse breeder and hotelier in South Australia. He founded the Richmond Park Stud in the Adelaide suburb of Richmond.
The Yorick Club was a gentlemen's club in Melbourne, Australia, whose membership consisted originally of men involved in the arts and sciences. It was founded in 1868 and continued in some form into the 1950s and perhaps beyond.
Joseph Jackman was the founder of Jackman's Rooms which incorporated a restaurant "Jackman's Dining Room", meeting rooms, dance hall and banqueting room at 48–50 King William Street, Adelaide, and several other cafes in Adelaide, South Australia.
William Richard Pybus was a South Australian organist, pianist and music teacher.
Rev. James Maughan was a Methodist minister in Adelaide, South Australia. His name was commemorated in the Maughan Church, Franklin Street, which has since been demolished.
James Shakespeare was an organist in the early days of the colony of South Australia.
Thomas Good was a merchant of Adelaide, South Australia, a founder of the wholesale drapery business of Good, Toms & Co.
Wybert Reeve was an English actor and impresario, important in the history of the theatre in South Australia.
The Theatre Royal on Hindley Street, Adelaide was a significant venue in the history of the stage and cinema in South Australia. After a small predecessor of the same name on Franklin Street, the Theatre Royal on Hindley Street was built in 1868. It hosted both stage performances and movies, passing through several changes of ownership before it was eventually demolished to make way for a multi-storey car park in 1962.
Edgar Chapman was a brewer and businessman in Adelaide, South Australia, closely associated with the Theatre Royal.
William Blackler was a noted horse breeder and sportsman in the early days of the British colony of South Australia.
The first Tattersall's Club in Adelaide was founded in 1879 and folded in 1886. It was revived as the South Australian Tattersalls Club in 1888 and prospered as a gentlemen's club, whose membership was chiefly composed of men who enjoyed gambling on horse races.
The Adelaide Liedertafel is a traditional German male choir, one of several Liedertafeln, or song societies, in the history of Adelaide and South Australia. It is Australia's oldest male choir.
Walkerville Brewery was a brewer of beer in Adelaide, South Australia, originally founded in the 1840s. The company became a co-operative, and grew by admitting hotel owners as shareholders, and absorbed smaller breweries. After several amalgamations it moved its operations to Southwark and by 1920 it was South Australia's largest brewing company.
Elizabeth Whitby was founder and principal of a school for girls in Carrington Street, Adelaide, one of the first in the Colony of South Australia, founded in 1848.
William John Wilson was a British actor and theatre scenery painter, who had a career in Australia that included theatre management.
George Cameron Gordon was a Scottish-born scenic designer and artist in Australia.